Not Alone
by TheDragonQueen706
Summary: With the holidays approaching, Hermione finds that she doesn't want to spend another one alone or any other day for that matter. Working for the Ministry of Magic has only suppressed the loneliness she feels;but recent events at work cause her to see a certain blonde haired Auror differently than she ever thought possible, despite all the history they share.
1. Chapter 1

**Author Note: Hey guys, just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to read this. It's not going to be a really long one; but I figured I'd do something for the holidays that are approaching quickly. I also wanted to say that this story is also for fellow author LightofEvolution. Thank you for encouraging me to write, even when I think I can't write anymore. So without anymore waiting, here is the first chapter and don't hesitate to let me know what you think of it.**

Chapter 1:

 **November 28th**

 **Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement- Auror Office**

Draco sat behind his desk, organizing the packet of papers that needed to be dropped off to Harry Potter's office by the end of the day. Of course, field work got in the way and he missed the deadline. He cursed that he had to stay later just to get it all finished so it would be on his desk when he arrived first thing in the morning.

His hand moved swiftly on the bottom of the page to sign his name. A soft knock came to across the wall and he locked up to see one of his fellow Aurors. He couldn't remember her name; but he knew that she was one of the newer ones that had just graduated the training courses. Her soft brown eyes bore into his for a simple moment before she blinked away from the gaze. She had short blonde hair that had a natural red highlight to it. A stray strand fell into her eyes, attempting to cover over a scar across her left cheek.

"Can I help you?" He asked, wondering why she was even there in the first place.

"I'm just passing out the invitations to this years Christmas party. Here is yours..." She answered stepping into the room holding out a small white envelope.

He took the item and sat it down in front of him then looked back up at her. She smiled at him and with a wink, she turned to walk out of the room. Once she was gone, he let out an annoyed sigh. It wasn't any different. It seemed a lot of the Auror women tried their hand at flirting with him. Of course, it got them nowhere. If one was lucky enough, he'd let them in on some of the pleasures he was capable of and that was it. One time and no more than that. Lately, he hadn't been doing that either.

Draco stared down at the small invitation again before tucking into the small pocket on the inside of his jacket and then returned to the task at hand. Another twenty minutes passed by and he finally got the packet finished and placed it on Harry's empty desk. Turning his back on the office, he noticed the large clock in the hall. 8:30 p.m. He never realized just how late it really had been.

Leaving the building, he found himself cold outside. The wind was absolutely frigid. He walked along the sidewalk, passing people he had never seen before or if he had—never remembered. It wasn't until after the war, that he got a new view on muggles and how necessary they were in the world. No matter what his father told him, muggles weren't all bad. When he thought about muggles, the first one the came to mind was of course Hermione Granger.

Looked out across the street at the central park, there was a group of men in the process of putting up the city's tree. The official lighting ceremony was tomorrow night and he knew that hundreds of people would crowd the place in anticipation of see the lights first hand. Crossing the street, the view of a woman's figure come clearer. Long curly sandy brown hair running down the back of her slender form that was covered by a coat that was probably two sizes too big for her.

She turned her head to the side for a moment and Draco could really see who it was first hand. It was Hermione herself standing several feet away from him. He'd seen her once in a great while at the Ministry; but for the most part they remained in their own respective departments. He kind of felt like a stalker just standing there watching her; but in that moment, he couldn't seem to drag himself away. There had always been something about her that drove him crazy, whether it be the fact that she was probably one of the smartest witches in their generation or the fact that she was just down right beautiful, he didn't really know. All he knew was that Hermione was standing there and he was just watching wordlessly.

xx—xx—xx—xx

Hermione stood in the middle of the walkway watching several people putting up a large tree in the center of the park. It was getting close to Christmas and it was time for the town to start decorating in celebration for the wonderful holiday that represented family in the utmost capacity. The thought of family was like a knife to the chest. After the war at Hogwarts years prior, she never returned her parents memories. She felt they were just simply better off not knowing. Those feelings just never went away and it got worse as time passed, because if she was honest with herself—she missed them dearly.

She could remember the feeling of obliviating them right before she left to accompany Harry in search of the horcruxs. It felt like a part of herself had vanished right along with their memories. Blinking away the burning sensation in her eyes, she returned her focus on the men on all sides of the large tree. Sometimes she missed those days of simplicity and others, she wouldn't have changed a thing.

A cold chill washed over her bare face, sending a shiver up her spine. Turning her feet in the direction of home, she lowered her head away from the wind and continued onward. Everything seemed more festive, even at work at the Ministry of Magic things were slightly more cheerful. _**"I suppose I shouldn't complain. We do have the peace for the time being."**_ She thought to herself as she pushed the button at the gates to her apartment complex.

"Good evening, Hermione." The guard greeted warmly.

"Good evening, Aiden." She greeted in return with a smile in her voice.

The gate clicked open as she pulled her large oversized coat closer to her face to shield herself from the bitter coldness of the wind. Stepping passed the now open gate, she made her way up the stairs and directly to her front door. Fumbling with the inside of the coat pocket, she managed to locate her keys and slip the small object into the hole. Turning it counterclockwise, the lock snapped and the door slide open.

The comforting scent of apple cinnamon waved under her nose as she stepped over the threshold, closing the door behind her. Sitting her bags down on the counter, she shifted over to the phone that flashed a couple times. Indicating that she had a voice mail that needed to be listened to. "I wonder who called me..." She said aloud picking up the device, pushing the buttons needed to get to the message.

"Oh...hey...'Mione, I know it's been a while since we last spoke. I just...was uh...wondering if you'd like to spend Christmas with Lavender and I this year. I know you spent last year alone and Harry was pretty pissed about it. Let me know...bye..."

Ron's voice wasn't any different than before. It was still hard for her to hear it even after all the years that had passed since the end of their relationship, or there lack of. The kiss thay had shared was a heat of the moment type thing and it never progressed further than that. It took a long time to understand why it happened that way and why the idea of love was teased in front of her face like that. It just wasn't meant for her. She accepted it and moved on with her life or at least tried to.

Sitting the phone back down on the base, she shrugged her coat off her shoulders and hung it up on the hook by the door. Her body ached with amount of work she had put in that day. She wondered if being the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures would get her anywhere. Would her dream of being the Minister ever be realized?

Padding across the floor and down the hall to the bathroom, she immediately turned the knobs for the right temperature in the water. She intended to take a long bath to relax her aches and to calm all the emotions that were floating all about her chest. Shedding her clothing, she slipped into the tub and poured in a little scent enhancement to help with the relaxation.

It didn't take long for Hermione to lay back and rest her head against the wall. Her eyes were heavy and closed almost instantly. The warmth of the water encased her like a blanket or someones embrace. It was beyond comforting to her.

xx—xx—xx—xx

Draco found himself standing outside of the gates that was protecting outsiders from the apartment complex Hermione lived in. He questioned his mental state mind and blamed it on his exhausted brain for being this out of character. He supposed that was the answer to his current behavior.

Turning away from the gates, he finally moved on towards his own flat on the other side of town. However, he couldn't seem to shake the woman from his head. Especially when he saw her discreetly wipe tears from her eyes and continue on like nothing happened at all. Curiosity perked at the worse time for him.

Opening the door to his own flat, he stepped inside relieved by the warmth it gave off. He placed his coat across the counter, not really caring that it should go on the hook by the door. Discarding his shoes as he walked, he stepped into the kitchen opened the freezer door and pulled out a bottle of liquor that didn't have a label on it. Stepping across the floor to the other side of the sink, he grabbed a shot glass from the cabinet.

Retreating to the living room, he collapsed onto the sofa with both the bottle of liquor and the shot glass in hand. The room was silent, not a single sound could be heard except the wind blowing against the window making it rattle in its place. He never bothered to turn the lamp in next to him, just remained in the darkness with the only light shining through was from the street light coming in the window.

Draco opened the bottle and poured the amber colored liquid into the glass. Throwing his head back, he swallowed it in one gulp. The instant burn of the alcohol warmed his body immediately. The dreaded holidays were coming and he knew that his mother was going to want him to be there. To him, the manor hadn't felt like home in a really long time. The war ruined that for him and the fact that Hermione was tortured on the floor of the foyer didn't help matters in the least. To this day, he could still hear her screams of pain as his aunt carved 'that word' into the women's flesh.

Cringing at the thought, he poured more liquid into the glass and swallowed it in one gulp once more. Leaning forward to pour another, he looked out the window to see an owl peaking at the glass. Groaning, he stood up to open the window just enough to retrieve the letter at his foot. The owl instantly flew away after Draco took the item from it. He knew exactly who the letter was from without having to open it.

His mother's handwriting was neatly placed at the center of the envelope. "Mother, can't you get with the times and get a damn phone and call like everyone else." He complained sitting back down on the sofa behind him.

He slid his finger to break the seal and then pulled the contents out to read what she had to say, though he kind of already knew what it would entail.

" _Dearest Draco,_

 _The holidays are approaching and your father and I would love your company. I know you still don't feel comfortable in the manor; but it would mean a lot to me if you would come._

 _See you soon,_

 _Mom"_

Tossing the piece of paper on the coffee table, he rested his head on the back of the sofa. Like always, his mother knew just what to say to get him to cave. He loved his mother and would do anything for her, even sacrifice his comfort to make her happy.

 **November 29** **th**

 **Ministry of Magic, Department of Magical Law Enforcement- Auror Office**

Draco's head throbbed as he worked silently at his desk. He supposed drinking that much probably wasn't the best idea in the world. Flipping through the pages, one caught his attention quickly. He thought it accidentally got placed in with the Auror paperwork; but it didn't matter, it was intriguing nonetheless. A muggle woman claimed to have seen the extinct Dodo bird, which to the magical world the bird is known as a Diricawl and was far from extinct.

"Hey Draco, can you do me a favor?" Harry's voice interrupted his reading.

Harry walked into the office with a handful of papers, his glasses sliding down the bridge of his nose. He still wasn't used to being called by his first name when it came to Harry. It was always Malfoy in school and even a few years after their days at Hogwarts. "What do you need?" He asked simply, trying not to use his last name considering he was his boss and not exactly appropriate.

"Can you take these papers down to Hermione in the Magical Creatures Department? Somehow they got mixed up with my stuff." Harry answered looking at Draco more thoroughly now that his glasses were back up where they should be.

"Sure, there was one in my papers as well."

"I wonder what happened? Oh well, thanks I appreciate it."

Draco grabbed the paper off his desk and walked around to the front where his boss stood. Harry handed him the stack in his own hand. With a slight nod of his head, he moved out the door. "Oh Draco!" Harry called out.

"Yes..."

"Great work on that packet."

Another nod of the head was done to acknowledge the compliment without actually have to say any words. He continued on down the hall and headed for the crossroads. There were so many people shuffling about, trying to get to their stations or handing out mail or running errands from one department to another. It was just simply crowded and it annoyed the hell out of him.

Looking down at the bundle of papers in his hand, his mind wandered to his destination. Hermione Granger's office in the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He had only been down there one time in the entire time he had been employed by the Ministry. Finding that he was tensing up, he swallowed the lump forming in his throat. He didn't know why his body was behaving in such a manor. It wasn't like he was afraid of her. It was more like he no idea what to say to her.

 **November 29** **th**

 **Ministry of Magic, Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures- Hermione's Office**

Draco came to stand outside the closed door of her office. There was a sudden nervousness that washed over for a brief moment before he pushed it aside and regained his composure. He knocked gently against the door. "Come in." Her soft voice answered.

He turned the knob and pushed the door open. Hermione looked up from her cluttered desk and caught his eyes almost instantly. She was surprised to see him that much he understood by the look on her face. "Uh...Draco...what can I do for you?" She asked softly, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible.

"Some of your papers got mixed up with the Auror's stuff. Harry had me bring them to you." He answered.

"Oh...thank you."

She stood up from her chair with a creek and stepped out to the front of her desk to face him fully. He handed her the papers and in those few seconds, her fingers brushed across the back of his hand sending a shock straight up her arm. It jolted her and left her confused as to what happened. Draco remained unphased and it made her wonder if it was her imagination. "Can I ask you something?" He asked suddenly.

"Sure..."

"How the hell can you work in here? It's a mess."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at his insult. She hadn't seen him in a long time and the first thing he says is that her office was a mess. Mentally cursing him, she clenched her free hand into a tight balled fist. "I work just fine like this, Malfoy. Thanks for the papers, you can go now." She stated keeping her voice low but stern.

He let out a soft chuckle before turning away from her. Closing the door behind him, she dropped back into her chair with a sigh. No matter how much time passed by, Draco Malfoy was still infuriating to her on top of the fact that he was beyond the most attractive man she'd ever met. Cursing herself for thinking such things, she forced herself to focus on her own work and block that little meeting from her mind. It wasn't like anything would ever come of her thinking those kind of things, especially when it came to the Malfoy heir.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note: I appreciate all the warm comments and know that quite a few of you are looking forward to another chapter.**

 **A special thanks goes to: MrsCatalyn, n75326tv, bakiboi2.0, danielledanielle1, SakuraMikan2015, Annie801, leahmalfoy24, Loverbooks, 45, Tillyann19, The17o, LightofEvolution, .89, smallwren, enchanted16, queenvampirebarbie, monsucre, Draconian666, JayPratt, Cotton-headed Ninnymoggins, Dramonie shipper17, RandiLynnie, Rhavaniel, and hellokitty49 for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: MrsCatalyn and LightofEvolution for the wonderful reviews. You're kind words mean the world to me.**

Chapter 2:

 **November 29** **th**

Hermione left her office a little after 7:30 with her large bag safely under her arm. She turned back to lock the door, her heels clicking against the floor for a brief moment. Once the door was locked, she turned to head back to the crossroads. It was there that she would be able to leave the Ministry. Letting out a sigh, a few of her reports remained on her cluttered mind in hopes of depriving her of precious sleep.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Harry speaking to Draco privately. She mentally thought about her miniscule meeting with Draco earlier that day. He had teased her about the mess in her office and actually found humor in it. She didn't know why she got all defensive. Maybe it was because of all the days they had spend at Hogwarts or maybe it was because she just didn't know how to handle a little bit of teasing anymore. Her life had grown chaotic, sometime too much for all that needed to be done. Though, most of the time she wanted to bury herself in work so as not to think about anything else that bothered her.

Harry caught her eyes as she passed them. She waved halfheartedly before disappearing in a puff of smoke. It left the two men to speak alone once more. Harry's eyes shifted away from Draco's as he handed him a small stack of papers. "No rush on this, just investigate it privately and please don't get caught. It's not exactly in our jurisdiction." Harry declared cryptically.

"Shouldn't you be trusting her with this information?" Draco countered with his own question.

"She's got so much on her plate as it is. Adding this, would only overload her. I think you know how stubborn she can be."

Draco did know; but it didn't keep him from wondering why Harry was trusting him with the assignment instead of his best friend. Hermione would no doubt be the better candidate for what the report in his hand called for. Without another word spoken, Harry left him. Looking down at the bundle of papers in his hand, he discreetly tucked them into the side pocket of his bag.

He then turned to leave. Once outside, the bitter cold wind hit him instantly in the face. The sudden chill took his breathe away momentarily. There was dozens of people roaming the sidewalks, scattering all over to their destinations; but not him. There was just too much on his mind to just go home. If he did that then all he'd do was drink.

Stumbling across the intersection that would lead him to the park or the cross-way that would lead him home, he glanced over at the park. Hundreds of people were gathered to see the official lighting of the tree. In the mix of them all, he could see her chestnut hair in large curls down her back.

Seeing her made him think about the papers that were secretly hidden in his bag that were meant for her viewing. He contemplated on telling her and going against what Harry told him to do. When the tree came closer into view, he wondered when he had decided to walk over there. Leave it to his brain to make decisions for him. Hermione stood only a few feet away with her back to him, not realizing that he was there just yet. He still had time to leave before she'd notice he was there.

She turned her head slightly just to catch sight of him. Too late to retreat now."Draco?" She called turning a little more to see him standing there with his hands in the pockets of his dressy winter coat.

"Granger..." He replied acknowledging her.

They stood in silence for few awkward moments before she turned completely around to face him. She couldn't stand the tension any longer. The look in his eyes made her breath hitch in her throat. He was starting at the tree and an expression of longing that left her feeling confused as to what he thinking. She wondered if his family even celebrated Christmas and wondered if he would listen to her if she spoke of what was heavy on her heart? Because it was there on the tip of her tongue just begging to be spoken. Before the inner battle ended, her mouth opened to speak. "You know...this time of year...I think about my parents. I sometimes regret not giving them their memories back...just so I had a place to go..."

Draco could hear her words and was completely surprised by them. He never expected her to be so open with him, especially with everything he had done to her in the past. Studying her face, he noticed the hope that was lit up behind the soft brown of her eyes. "But I know they are better off not knowing I exist. It's safer for them." She continued.

"I wouldn't say that. I assume they loved you very much."

"Well...yeah..."

"If they were shitty parents, then I can understand not wanting to give them any memory of you; but they weren't, maybe you should reconsider."

His words caught her off guard a little. The stormy gray of his eyes were filtered with emotions she had never seen before. It got her thinking that maybe he was a decent human being underneath all the crap his family had drilled into his mind growing up. Even Harry had once told her that he believed that he was a good person deep down.

Voices of awe escaped around them when the lights were finally appearing on the tree. Hermione and Draco turned to view it more fully. He could see the lights sparkle in the center of her eyes and immediately couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful they were reflecting in her eyes. It added layers of beauty to her already flawless features.

"I never noticed how pretty these things really were..." Hermione commented.

Draco said nothing, he couldn't stop looking at her. He mentally cursed himself for even thinking the smallest compliments when it came to her. He was Draco Malfoy, one of the wealthiest heirs within all the pure-bloods; but for some reason, he couldn't seem to shake her image right then. He was really starting to question his mental stability. "Well, as pretty as they are...I should head home. Another long day tomorrow..." She said again, snapping him out of his private thoughts.

"Yeah...same..." He replied proceeding to walk after her.

A smile came across her face when she realized that he was walking with her. Heat crept to her cheeks, hidden under the cold that had reddened her skin. She supposed that he was only walking with her because he had to live somewhere in the same direction and that thought put a damper on her mood. Clenching her hands tighter in the confines of the pockets of her coat, Hermione tried not to let the lack of conversation bother her.

Draco had no idea what to say to her. The only thing that came to mind was the hidden report in his bag that was meant for her. He didn't know who to listen to. Harry was his boss; but at the same time, he had no clue where to even start with the assignment, where Hermione would. The street lights lit up the walkway, catching just the right way to bring out all the details of her face. A face that had haunted plenty of his dreams over the years.

"Well this is me..." Hermione stated stopping in the middle of the path.

"So it is...have a good night, Granger." He stated turning away.

"Do you...do you want to come in? I could make some hot chocolate or something."

He turned back around to look at her. Yet again, she surprised him by her boldness. Asking him inside her own private home completely astounded him to no words at all. Studying her face, he could see how bad that could go. His primal instincts were now kicking in and that was something he didn't want. He didn't want to attempt anything that he would regret later on. "I don't know if that's a good idea." He answered honestly.

"How about a shot of tequila?" She offered in return.

Draco perked at the offer, not understanding her reason for offering anything. Did she think he'd respond better to alcohol than to just a traditional drink? Was he that transparent? Or maybe, she was just as alone as he was. "Again, not a good idea. Why is it that you want me to come inside?" He asked curiously, holding back the smile that was tugging at his lips.

"You look like you could use the company...and I guess...maybe I don't want to be alone."

"I'm not the best company, Granger. Everyone knows that..."

Hermione sucked her bottom lip inward, contemplating on what to say next. She never realized just how stubborn Draco could really be. She was trying to be nice and brush the past behind them, with him only to reject her peace offerings. Before she knew it, he was standing only inches away from her. As if he could feel her disappointment. His warm breath brushing across the tender skin of her neck. "Goodnight..." He whispered, tucking a strain of her hair behind her ear.

Her mouth felt dry, words void of her. He turned away to never look back one. She stood alone for a few more minutes before pushing the button for Aiden to allow her access to the grounds. Her hands were shaking and there were probably several reasons as to why that was happening. Dropping her things beside the door, she kicked her heels off and padded across the floor to open one of the top cabinets for a small glass. "Well if he doesn't want a shot...I'll just drink one without him." She told herself, pouring clear liquid into the small glass. Lifting it to her lips, she let her head fall back swallowing the warm fluid in one gulp. The contents burning the whole way down.

xx—xx—xx—xx

Draco stepped inside his flat raw of emotion. He had come so close to just kissing Hermione mere minutes before that. Those urges had never come to pass in the past and he had no idea what had changed to make his body want her now. The slightest touch sent sparks right through him, to the point where he was willing to test the limits of it. Even when his brain screamed at him that it was a very bad idea.

Collapsing on the sofa, he leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. He was trying to regain his composure and get the right state of mind on his shoulders. Opening his eyes wide, he leaned forward digging into his bag for the report Harry had given him earlier. Glancing at the first few words, he knew that it had to do with a Magical Creature. One that Hermione would have more expertise than him. "Damnit..." He cursed softly leaning his head back.

He knew he had to come up with something soon. Despite the fact that Harry had told him to take his time with it, he also knew that Harry wanted it done without Hermione knowing about it. The question now was, could he really do that? Could he not involve her, when she held the answers he needed to complete the assignment.

A flash of her face appeared behind his eyes, bolting him forward once again. He ran a hand over the top of his head, his fingers flowing through his pale blonde locks with ease. Reaching down to the side of the sofa, he pulled up the nearly empty bottle of liquid he had been drinking the previous night. Staring at it, the sound of her voice asking him to come inside repeated inside his head.

"Damn it to hell..." He muttered before taking a drink straight from the bottle head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author Note: I really appreciate everyone that is taking the time to read this. I'm also going to take the time to encourage you read these two stories if you aren't already. They are absolutely phenomenal. The first is 'Reformed' by goldensnitch18 and 'Tickling the Dragon' by LightofEvolution.**

 **A special thanks goes to: LighofEvolution, xKimPossiblex, Cotton-headed Ninnymoggins, Legolas' Girl 31 and Dramoine shipper17 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: punklena, xKimPossiblex, NazChick, christinachatterton, Nerakk, avt1988, KrispiKreme, Legolas' Girl 31, ItzelNox, Itsk-drizzle, SerpentofDarkness, Dayannight, Agent Gibbs, Nala Moon, Ll1234 and hanaah70 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 3:

 **November 30** **th**

 **Hermione Granger's Office, Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures**

Hermione filtered through some of the leftover paper work from the day before and tucked them neatly into their proper folders. Shifting on her feet, she moved over to the corner bookshelf to grab on the large encyclopedias. She couldn't quite remember the answer to a question one of her staff asked earlier on in the day. Scanning the words to find what she was looking for, a sudden knock on the door startled her.

"Come in!" She shouted, not moving her eyes from the material.

"Nose in a book as always, Granger..."

His voice sent a shiver up her spine, causing her to freeze instantly. She remember their close proximity the night before in front of her apartment complex. Her mind went to a million different scenarios in that moment. Swallowing the large lump in her throat, Hermione lifted her head up from the book she had been invested in.

Draco's blue-gray eyes were lit with a little humor behind them as well as the slight smirk on his lips. A hand was hung loosely at his side while the other was inside the pocket of his black pants. She couldn't help but notice a difference in his behavior. In all the time they spend in Hogwarts, he maybe spoke to her twice and both times it wasn't very good things coming out of his mouth. When she started at the Ministry, they maybe exchanged words a few times and they were always business related. In the last three days they've spoken more than all of those events combined. She wondered what had changed.

"What can I do for you, Malfoy?" She asked tucking a curl behind her ear, trying not to act nervous in his presence.

"Potter sent me to pick up a file he asked you for this morning." Draco asked leaning against the open doorway.

"Oh...right...it's here somewhere. Give me a minute..."

She had completely forgotten about Harry asking her to dig out an old case file from five years prior. It dealt with a wizard who had smuggled a large number of Demiguises from their native grounds for unknown purposes. The wizard had been caught but spoke nothing as to why he brought the creatures with him or what he was going to use them for.

Draco tapped his fingers against the wood of the door frame, obviously annoyed by her careless unorganized manor. Hermione tried to ignore his piercing stare; but the shiver ran right back up her spine. Moving a stack of papers aside, she finally located the file. "Here it is..." She stated walking back around the desk to close some of the distance between them.

"Finally..." He said in a low whisper.

"I'm sorry oh mighty prince that it wasn't just waiting for you with a bow."

He raised a brow at her sudden outburst but took the file from her nonetheless. Draco knew that he upset her with his comment, also knowing that it might have been better if he had just kept his mouth shut while she looked for the file. Pushing away from the wooden frame, he let out a sigh. "You really should get a little more organized. How is anyone going to ask for something timely from you when you have no clue where anything is?"

"What do you suggest then?"

"I help organize this office...say six tonight?"

"Why?"

"Why not? It's helping you or I spend the first night of the weekend drinking far too much to be considered healthy."

Hermione considered what he was telling her. She supposed it wasn't a complete bad idea to have some help in fixing the chaos that was her office; but the help was in the form of Draco Malfoy. The sheer notion of being alone with him in her office after work hours sent electrical currents throughout her entire body. There were so many things that could go wrong with the event. "Okay...six is fine by me." She reluctantly agreed.

He gave a short nod of his head and then left the room without another word spoken. Hermione stood frozen in her spot on the floor. Leaning forward, she closed the door to give herself more privacy. "Get a grip, he's Draco freaking Malfoy...the biggest spoiled..." She began to rant before stopping herself mid-sentence.

Turning away from the door, she returned to her desk to remove some of the clutter to continue working on the earlier project prior to the interruption from Draco. Letting out a long heavy sigh, she ran a hand through her hair and returned to the encyclopedia.

 **XX—XX—XX—XX**

Draco passed Harry's office only because his mind was not focusing on the task at hand. He was thinking about the spontaneous offer he had made to Hermione. Backtracking towards his boss' office, he knocked on the door. Within seconds, Harry stood before him with his glasses almost down to the bridge of his nose. "The file you asked me to get." He stated holding the folder up slightly.

"Great, thank you Draco for getting this for me."

"Is there a reason I haven't been assigned to anything that deals with my job?" Draco asked outright, forgetting whom he was speaking to for that brief moment.

Harry turned away slightly to look back down at his desk and the paper that was tucked neatly underneath a large stack of unfinished work. He understood where the frustration was coming from. Pulling the paper free, he handed it to Draco. Hesitantly, he took the parchment and scanned the contents before widening his eyes almost immediately. The words shouldn't have come as too much of a surprise; but they did, especially when it concerned her.

"This...this is death threat..." Draco stated the obvious before being interrupted.

"Yes it is and this is why I haven't assigned you to anything. I need my best here. I apologize for asking all these meaningless tasks of you; but Hermione needs to be kept in the dark about all of this. If she knew that her life was being threatened in anyway, she's drown herself in research to find an answer that just may not be there."

"What is it you want me to do?"

"I want you to protect her. Find out what that report I gave you means, I think it has something to do with this threat. They came in right around the same time."

Draco was completely stunned by what just transpired. Never in a million years did he think Harry Potter would trust him enough to keep his best friend safe from an unknown threat, nor did he think that he would ever be worthy enough of that considering all that happened in the past. Silently agreeing to Harry's request, he retreated back to his own private office to gather his thoughts.

Collapsing in his chair, he leaned back to stare at the ceiling. The death threat to Hermione came as a surprise to him, though in the wizard world there were those who couldn't stand the golden trio. Most of those words seemed harmless enough; however, now things were very different. Thinking on the report that was in his bag, he wondered what connection there could be to a sighting of a Chimaera far from their native lands in Greece. Could this person be using the deadly Chimaera as a way to kill her? It seemed impossible to him; but he knew that he needed to find out for himself before it was too late.

Finishing up the last bit of work he needed to complete, he looked over at the clock and saw that it read that it was nearing six. Remembering that he offered to help Hermione to organize her office better, he started to put his things into his bag. Looking up from the floor, he saw several people walking amongst themselves on their way out for the day. They spoke of how their day went. Burying the slight envious notion that he didn't have a single person to talk to about his day, he gathered his things and stepped out of the small office.

Going in the opposite direction of everyone else, he followed the elevator to the fourth level of the Ministry. There were people that shared the space with him that he didn't even recognize and the ones he did, he couldn't remember their names. They never looked in his direction or made a single noise the entire ride to the fourth floor. Once the elevator stopped, Draco stepped out while everyone else stayed inside.

Paying no attention to the odd looks he was getting, he continued on towards her office at the end of the hall. Her door was wide open as he got closer to view it properly. She was standing with her back to him reaching for a book on the top shelf. She was no longer wearing her uniform and dressed in muggle clothing. Jeans that hugged all her curves and a long sleeved sweater of a dark green color. He found himself staring at her backside without meaning to.

Clearing his throat, Hermione swiftly turned around to see him standing there waiting for her permission for entry. She waved him inside and instantly felt a little awkward being alone with him. "Where do you want to start?" She asked looking from one side to the room to the other.

"Lets start with the desk and get all the papers in proper folders and then we will go from there." He suggested.

That's what they did. She started using more folders and putting all the like elements together. He turned to the bookshelves behind the desk, noticing that there were a lot about magical creatures. His interest took over as he scanned the binding looking at the titles, in search of something specific. Hermione turned her head and saw him shrug out of his uniform coat, leaving him in just a white button up shirt that hugged his skin perfectly.

Her cheeks burned with heat with a mental image of what he would look like without the shirt. She cursed her awful hormones for making her think such things about a man who had taken great pleasure in making fun of her blood status in school.

Draco caught her looking at him out of the corner of his eye and instantly chuckled softly to himself. "Finding something you like, Granger?" He asked turning his eyes to look directly at her to see the flush all over her face.

"No...of course not..." She stumbled over her words before turning her attention back to the finishing her task.

He chuckled again, ignoring the urge to corner her and give her something to flush about. The books were surprisingly in alphabetical order, which made what he was looking for easier to find. Chimaera, the hybrid creature. Draco turned to see if she was still watching him before he took the book from the shelf and tucked into the side pocket of his bag discreetly.

Hermione finished organizing the folders in the bottom desk drawer before sliding it back in. Looking over at the clock, she was surprised that two hours had already passed them by. A small yawn escaped her mouth before returning to clear out some of the clutter on top of her desk. "Looks a lot better." Draco commented.

"Yes it does..."

"It's getting late, we should probably call it a night. We could finish another night, as long as you keep what is already done the same."

"I plan on it. Thank you...for the help I mean."

Blinking a couple times to digest the 'thank you', he took several steps in her direction. The pink flush returned to her cheek almost immediately. He was curious as to why she reacted that way when he got somewhat closer to her. He couldn't imagine her being entirely that innocent, considering the Weasley boy from school showered her with attention from day one. "Do I make you nervous, Granger? You flush the closer I get to you." He asked, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"No and it's called personal space."

"I could really enter your personal space if you'd like."

His words left her even more heated than before, pooling at the center of her being and making her tremble in places that haven't stirred in a long time. She never imagined him saying such things to her. Whether he meant them or not was another question entirely. "Have a good night, Granger..." He stated stepping passed her to leave the room with his jacket and bag in hand.

"Draco!"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you."

"You can thank me when it's finished."

He continued on mentally arguing with himself for not taking what his body wanted. She had been so open to take a simple taste of her lips. Fighting the urges, he made himself think about the death threat and the Chimaera sighting to get his mind off of ravishing Hermione Granger. He hoped the book he had taken from her office would give him some insight as to what the connection would be to the anonymous letter sent into the Ministry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author Note: I'm very pleased with how everything is turning out so far. With the holidays coming up, I knew that I was going to have to get this chapter out before they started. I'm going to be so busy for next few days, so on to the next chapter and let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: punklena, Legolas' Girl 31, LightofEvolution, Guest and Dramonie shipper17 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: katra16, Phoenix9018, sbolzzz, cheakymaid, Bookworm0611, Thalosen, bookinspired, jclay, roon0, amyrobertsonxxx, ajacobs17, topazrose, Mmbboo, SlytherinsGoldenGirl, katiesaysmerp and estoy en wonderland for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 4:

 **November 30** **th** **, Draco's Apartment**

Draco walked into his flat with his bag under his arm. There was an increased weight to it thanks to the book he had taken from Hermione's office. The whole walk home, she had been on his mind; but it wasn't just the things Harry had told him earlier on, there was a level of attraction there to and the curiosity of where it could go was drawing him in.

Tossing his shoes off, he sat down on the sofa to pull out the book he had taken. There was so much research to do about the creature in question. Harry seemed to believe that the threat on Hermione's life and the report he had given him were somehow connected. His fingers brushed across the cover of the old book in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Granger..." He whispered to himself, realizing that it was wrong to have taken it without her permission.

Opening the book to the first page, he glanced at the table of contents and decided that he better read it all if he wanted to learn all he could about the creature. He already knew that it was a hybrid being with a head of lion, goat's body and a dragon's tail. Other than those facts, he was completely clueless on anything else about it.

"A native to Greece, the Chimaera is violent and highly ferocious. According to myth, the Chimaera is a hybrid creature of Lycia in Asia Minor and composed of parts from more than one animal. It is also a sibling to creatures such as the Cerberus and Hydra." Draco read aloud.

He groaned at the information. The way he understood it, A Chimaera was highly dangerous and would most likely kill anyone who tried to get near it. So, once again, he questioned the connection to the death threat to the sighting of one of these creatures. Could someone really control a creature like this?

Reading through more of the book, he learned that The Ministry labeled the Chimaera a level five(Very Dangerous) and their eggs were a Class- A non-tradeable material. To Draco, that was really bad. Quickly shutting the book, he leaned back against the plush part of the sofa. The ceiling stared back at him.

Hermione's face flashed behind his eyes. Keeping the death threat and the report from her was hard to do, because he felt like she deserved to know. Harry asking him to protect her was even harder to grasp. Did he really trust him with such a task? Were there others in on this private mission? Pulling his wand from the inside of his overcoat, he pointed it directly at the cabinet that housed his liquor bottles. "Alohomora." He stated, the cabinet door opened wide.

Keeping his wand pointed at the cabinet, he spoke words to get one of the bottle to come to him instead of getting up to get it himself. Twisting the cap off, he pressed the cool glass to his lips. The amber liquid slid forward, coating his mouth with the pleasant burn.

In all of his twenty-three years, he never thought the emptiness would be consuming him as it currently was doing. There was so much hurt and regret that haunted him on so many levels of consciousness. It seemed like drinking was the only thing that kept it to a minimum. Taking another sip from the bottle head, he rested head back against the back of the sofa. Sitting the bottle down on the floor, he allowed the exhaustion to take over.

XX—XX—XX—XX

 **December 1** **st** **, Hermione's Apartment**

Hermione awoke early just like every morning. She mindlessly started to make her usually cup of coffee until the papers on the counter caught her attention. It was yesterday's paper and she wondered how she never noticed that it was sitting there. The headline grabbed at her, making her think about what happened yesterday at the office.

 **MALFOY TRIAL TO COMENSE IN TWO WEEKS**

She wondered how Draco was handling. His father's trial for the events during the battle at Hogwarts were just starting to come crashing down around them. There was rumors that he was never going to go to trial because of all the time that had passed by since the war and because of their last minute change of sides; but seeing that headline, it must be the right time to go ahead with it.

Scanning the article more, she realized that it had nothing to do with the war at all; but basic law breaking in the form of being far too greedy for his own good. He was born into wealth and never had to work, so it amazed her to see how greedy he really could be. The Ministry were probably looking for any kind of law breaking to get him to serve time in Azkaban. She pitied Draco for having to go through such a childhood and for having a father like Lucius.

Hermione tossed the paper in the garbage and turned to pour the dark liquid into the mug on the counter. Staring into the darkness, she thought about what happened at the office. How Draco offered to help her organize her office better and how close he had gotten into her personal space, even flirted with her. It was so unlike him to behave that way and it was even more uncharacteristic of her to enjoy the attention given.

Her mind quickly became cluttered with thoughts and then the phone rang, which gave her mind a much needed break. Walking over to the other side of the room, she picked up the hand-held device and pushed the button to answer the call.

"Hermione?" A warm feminine voice said.

"Yes, who may I ask is this?"

"It's Janey, from the 'Being Division'."

Of course, Hermione remembered her. She was the one who asked the question yesterday, the question she had to look up in an encyclopedia. Hearing her voice, the guilt was written all over her face. "Oh Janey, I am so sorry. I completely forgotten to answer your question yesterday." She apologized, hoping that it would be okay.

"Oh no worries, Miss Granger. I knew you were busy; but I was calling to see if we could meet up. There is some more questions I have for this report."

Hermione looked over at the clock. Nine in the morning wasn't all that bad, so she agreed to meet the girl at a small cafe' on the corner. It would give herself some much needed time to socialize with someone else other than the four walls of her office and of course, to keep herself from thinking about Draco Malfoy.

She moved back to her bedroom and opened her closet grabbing a pair of dark colored jeans, then took a dark red sweater off the hanger. Tossing her nightgown over her head, she stood before the large mirror on the wall fully exposed. She never thought herself flawed; but there was still the scar on her arm that would always remind herself that there was flaw in the eyes of most pure bloods and that included Draco. She had remember that.

Once dressed, she brushed her wildly curly hair and decided to pull half of it up into a low ponytail. Hermione then brushed her teeth and slipped out of the bathroom only to see that the sun was no longer shining through her window. The gray clouds had moved across the sky to cover the warmth of the sun. They have yet to see the first snow fall of the year, so maybe today was going to be the day for that.

Grabbing her handbag from the hook beside the door, she slipped her winter coat on and walked outside. The cold air hit her in the face, taking her breath away from a split second. The cafe' wasn't that far from her apartment and it only took her five minutes to walk there. Janey was sitting at the far corner table looking down at some papers scattered across the tabletop. Her long dark brown hair was twisted into a long braid and hung loosely over her shoulder.

"Hello Janey." Hermione greeted before sitting down across from her.

"Oh, thanks for coming Miss Granger." She replied with a smile and glimmer of happiness in her green eyes.

"Just call me Hermione, no reason to be formal outside of The Ministry."

"Okay..."

Janey pushed one of the papers across the table for Hermione to take a look at. She might be Head of The Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures; but there was a higher up in all the sub-divisions. The report was for that said Head, then it would eventually come to her in due time. Janey was someone she kind of took under her wing, because she reminded her of herself only a younger version. "I would change this. You don't want to sound too factual; but at the same time, you need to sound like you know what your talking about without shoving the information down his throat."

Hermione reached for a pen from her bag and wrote a sample down, which Janey understood pretty well. They spend the next hour going over the report and speaking of small things that were happening around The Ministry, including the Christmas party. "Is there someone you plan on going with?" Janey asked curiously.

"Oh, I doubt there will be anyone this year." She answered feeling stupid for having hope that there would be someone to take along.

"That's a shame. You are extremely intelligent and far too pretty to be alone for the holidays."

When Janey needed to go, it left Hermione feeling accomplished. She was thrilled that she could help her out with little things like that. She looked at her watch, then stood up. It was a little after noon and there really wasn't anything else to do but to go back home.

Stepping outside of the cafe', white little flakes drifted across the sky. She looked up to see the snow starting the fall upon the city. A smile crept her face. It was finally starting to look like the Christmas season. The lights on the tree in the park were shimmering and drew her in.

Before she knew it, she was in the park looking at the lights on the large tree. Sitting down on the bench, the snow was starting to fall a little harder than before. There wasn't a single person around, so slightly feeling like a kid, she stood up and twirled around in the snow. A laugh escaped her mouth as she spun, until she spun into a body.

Her hands were pressed into his chest as his arm was wrapped around her waist, holding her against him. His masculine scent waved under her nose causing her mouth to go dry almost instantly. She was having trouble finding words to express how sorry she was for not looking where she was going.

"I'm sorry..." She muttered finally looking up.

A devilish grin and warm blue-gray eyes greeted her. She was in Draco's arms and was completely frozen in place with the snow falling around them. He let go of her and took a step back, giving her some space. She was thankful for that gesture. "You really should watch where you're going, Granger." He teased.

"Yeah...sorry about that. I don't know what I was thinking."

"I'm kidding, don't take it so personal."

The snow caught in her hair was an added bonus to her already exquisite features. He wanted to tuck the large chunk of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear; but forced his hands to stay by his sides.

Hermione couldn't believe that she had run into him of all people, especially when she was acting like a child just minutes before. One of those rare moments of happiness abruptly ended, because she had misjudged. Looking up into his face, the grin was no longer there. Instead, he looked at her with concern.

"What were you doing anyway?" He asked out of curiosity.

"Enjoying the snow...it was something I used to do with my parents..." She answered honestly and instantly regretted it.

Draco took a step closer to her, reaching out to tuck that large chunk of hair behind her ear. He had heard her speak of her parents once before. It was something he probably would never understand, considering his family was dysfunctional. He could only imagine what her opinion of them was. His father's name was on the front page of the newspaper once again. "Come with me..." He whispered turning away from her.

"Where?"

"You'll see..."

She wondered if she should trust him enough to take her somewhere unknown; but the urge to find out was overwhelming. Her legs carried her to follow him. He lead her further into the park, further than she had ever ventured before. There were trees all over, almost like a forest except it was no where near big enough for that.

Five more minutes passed by before Draco stopped walking. Hermione looked out at the snow covered stream. She had no doubt that in the spring this place would because absolutely breathtaking with fresh blooming flowers; but now, it was a winter wonderland. How had she never known about this place before? "This is beautiful..." She commented.

"My mother used to take me here when I was little to look at the ice covered stream."

His words caught her completely off guard. She never expected him to open up to her like that. Mentioning his mother only got her mind thinking of the newspaper headline from yesterday. She wanted to ask how he was handling that; but couldn't open her mouth to speak the words. "My mother isn't all bad. I wish the newspapers would leave her be." He admitted stepping out away from her.

"Draco...I'm sorry."

"There isn't anything to be sorry about. My bastard of a father ruined us. He ruined her and... ruined me."

Hermione shook her head and took several steps to close the distance between them. Her cold hand reached for his. He looked at her with a million different emotions running side by side. "He didn't ruin you. You aren't the same person you were then, even I can see that. You have a chance to be your own person and not do the things your father did. With you being an Auror, you're already on the right path." She stated with a smile.

Draco didn't think of things that way; but was glad she expressed her thoughts to him. It made him feel like a person. He didn't want to be his father, never have and never would want that. His mother encouraged him to follow his own path and accepted the fact that he became an Auror despite his father's rejection of the idea.

Hermione's hand tightened around his briefly before letting go completely. She couldn't imagine the pain he was feeling. His father no doubt expected far too much from his son, instead of loving him for just who he was. "Are you hungry?" She asked changing the subject.

"Why?" He asked raising an eyebrow at her questioning.

"Well since I ran into you while I doing my childish twirling, I figured I'd make it up to you by buying lunch."

"Well then...if you're offering who am I to refuse."

She smiled brightly, placing a hand on his arm before walking forward towards to the park. Draco followed after her, walking right by her side. He had spent so long resenting her in school for being smarter than him and he never took the time to really see her as a person. Seeing her now, he was seeing how wrong he had been about her in more ways than one.

He watched her flag down a taxi and let out a slight chuckle to himself before getting into the car right behind her. They sat in silence the whole way to wherever it was she told the driver to take them. His knee brushed up against hers, getting her to look over at him. The flush on her cheeks returned and he couldn't help but feel accomplished in making her feel nervous around him. It made him think that there was an attraction on her end as well as his.

The car stopped outside of a small diner that he had only been to one other time prior. She handed the driver money to pay the fee, which didn't sit well with him. He may not be with the woman; but it still was the gentlemanly thing to do to pay for the expenses, especially when he had a lot more money than she did.

They got out of the car, noticing the snow had stopped falling. Walking into the diner, they were quickly seated in a private corner of the restaurant. It never dawned on Hermione that people around would begin to talk about whom she was with; but luckily, no one said a word. At least, none that she could hear anyway.

"What can I get you two to drink?" The waitress asked cheerfully.

"Just a water for me." Hermione stated.

"Same." Draco said as well.

She nodded and went on her way to gather their drinks. He looked around discreetly. Hermione noticed his uneasiness. She supposed it was because he didn't want any rumors starting their way through the tabloids. "Relax. I picked this place for a reason. They don't allow any newspaper journalists or any kind of writer in here. It's supposed to a safe place for anyone to be."

"Was I that obvious?" He asked.

"Kind of, though I don't really blame you for being cautious."

Draco watched her head lower. There was something different about her now. The warmth in her eyes was no longer there. It was replaced by a look of disappointment and it made him feel like he needed to say something to bring that warmth back in her eyes; but he had no idea what to say to her. "I just didn't want rumors to start for the wrong reasons." He said softly.

The waitress returned, cutting Hermione off from replying to his statement. The slender woman with short black hair sat their glasses neatly in front of them with a smile and turned to write down their order. "So what will we be havin' today? The vegetarian lasagna is to die for if I do say so myself." She said trying to encourage the daily special on them.

"It does sound good. I think I will go with that." Hermione said handing her menu back.

"Same." Draco stated giving the waitress his menu.

She jotted it down on her notepad and took the menus from their hands with another warm smile. Hermione took a drink from her glass, preparing herself to answer the statement from a few minutes ago. The cold fluid slid down her throat and sent a chill straight down to her stomach. "You mean rumors of you being seen with a muggle born?"

"I figured you'd think that; but that's not why. The fact is, I'd rather my life stay out of the headlines. My family might be attention seekers; but I'm not. The fact that your muggle born has no relevance here. If anything...I'd rather you not be seen with me."

His words only confirmed what she was beginning to think already. He had changed since the war. Smiling to herself, she took another sip from her glass to hide her happiness from him. They talked about little things, like what got them into The Ministry and what their training was like. When their food came, they both enjoyed every bit of it. Draco had many different plates of the same food from other places and none compared to the little diner they were currently in. That only proved that fancy doesn't always mean the best quality.

The waitress returned to ask if there was anything else she could do for them. When Hermione told her there wasn't, she laid the check down on the table and left them. Hermione reached forward for the check; but Draco reached his hand out beating her to it. She looked at him dumbfounded. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"Paying for the meal." He answered simply.

"I told you that I would buy."

"Yes; but I changed my mind in letting you do that."

He smiled at her. The flutters in her chest were taking her breath away. She didn't understand how this man could make her feel that way just after a couple days of interaction. Had she always harbored such emotions for him? That was the million dollar question in her mind.

Draco did as he intended and paid for the meal. They turned to leave the restaurant and stepped out into the crowded walkway. It was close to four and everyone would be headed home from the weekend job or the weekend shopping trips. "So where do you go now?" He asked turning to look at a display window of mens jackets.

"I really don't have anything else to do. I'm probably going to go home and make a big cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows."

He continued to look into the glass, debating on saying anything else to her. He really didn't want to let her leave yet. Her company was pleasantly fulfilling and wasn't ready to let it go. Hermione turned her head to side slightly, confused as to what he was doing. Shifting a little, she noticed the snow starting to fall once again. "Would you like to join me for a cup?" She asked turning back towards him.

"Sure." He agreed.

She nervously flagged yet another taxi and told him where to go. The trip to her apartment complex was spent in silence. Her mind was going in a million different directions and it never occurred to her that Draco was the first person other than friends she had brought home with her. It felt awkward, though not in a bad way.

The driver told her the price once he pulled along the curb. Hermione went for her handbag for the money; however, Draco paid for it instead. He winked at her before getting out of the car. They stood on the sidewalk outside the gate. "You didn't need to pay for that to." She argued.

"Well I did, so get over it." He countered with a coy smile.

Turning to push the button, she narrowed her eyes at him. Pretending to be angry at him, even though she doubted he believed her. She was easily readable. At least that's what Harry always told her. No one answered the buzzer, which frustrated her. "That's unlike Aiden." She commented.

"I'm sorry, miss. Aiden had an emergency. There won't be anyone to let you in until eight or so." A lady shouted from her window.

"Oh...thank you..." She shouted back.

Mentally cursing at the timing, she turned toward Draco and let out an annoyed sigh. "Come on, I'm not going to let you wander the streets for the next four hours." He said placing a gentle hand on the lower part of her back. She stiffened slightly at his touch; but quickly relaxed, realizing there was no reason to tense up.

They walked for another ten minutes or so and came to another apartment building. Draco opened the door and allowed her inside. Climbing several sets of stairs, they finally came to a door that read 16B. He unlocked the door and pushed it open. The warmth caressed her cheeks instantly. Slowly stepping inside, she took notice of the lack of furnishings. It was a pretty standard apartment set-up. Kitchen joint to the living room. A hallway leading back to a bedroom at the end, maybe another on the left hand side.

"It's nothing fancy; but it will keep you warm until you can get into your own place." Draco stated.

"You know...I expected more from one of the richest people in London." She teased.

"I actually like the simplicity of this place. Less to clean."

"Fair enough..."

He took off his coat and hung it up on the hook beside the door. Reaching out to take hers, his fingers brushed against hers. Draco turned into the living room to clean off the coffee table of the items she didn't need to see and quickly shoved them into his bag. The large window caught her attention almost instantly. The snow falling heavily caused a white haze over everything. "You have such a view." She complimented.

"Yeah...this place does have it's perks." He replied moving to stand beside her.

"It's beautiful. My place doesn't have a view like this. I could stare at it for hours."

He wouldn't mind if she came to visit him just for the view if that meant he could spend time with her. It was so unlike him to get this attached to someone so quickly. Glancing back at his work bag leaning against the frame of his sofa, he considered telling her about everything Harry advised him not to speak of. "I'm sorry for running into you today during my childish antics." She apologized turning her head from the window to look directly at him.

"No need to. You looked so happy while doing it."

"I was...the thought of my parents really does make me happy even though I can't see them."

Draco understood her need to keep them out of her affairs. Her magical blood was dangerous to those who don't have any magic. During the war, she did what she thought was best and never looked back. He admired that about her, because he seriously doubted that he would have been able to do what she did.

Hermione blinked to break the stare they had going. She looked around the room once again. "You don't have a single Christmas decoration in here." She commented turning back around to look at him. It was curious to her as to why he didn't have a tree or anything. She knew that he was a single man living alone; but he didn't even have an artificial pre-lit tree.

"I know...just never got around to it. I'll get to it sometime."

"I'll bring some of my extra stuff. I have far too much and I can never put it all out."

"It's not necessary."

He moved to sit down on the sofa and opened the bottle of liquor that was on the floor. She watched him intently, waiting to see what he was going to do next. He twisted the cap and took a full swig from the large bottle. The burning sensation in his throat calmed his nerves fairly quickly as he never noticed Hermione sitting down next to him. "Is this what you do? Drink the second you get home?" She asked.

"I don't have much going for me. I get home from The Ministry and the bottle keeps me company from the nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

"The ones I've had every single night since the war."

Hermione understood where he was coming from. She to had nightmares after the war, mainly of the torture she went through at the hands of Bellatrix; but there were other moments that came back to haunt her dreams. Getting up onto her knees, she shifted her body to face him. His eyes were almost pleading with her to keep her distance. "Draco..."

"Don't! There is nothing you can say that will make everything that happened okay. I made the choices and now I have to live with them.

"You didn't have a choice and that's where the difference is."

She could tell that he was hurting in more ways than one. Leaning in, her arms wrapped themselves around his neck. Her scent waved under his nose, intoxicating him with her unique smell. It didn't take him long to wrap his own arms around her, accepting the comfort she was giving. Closing his eyes, he reveled in her warmth.

Pulling away, she sat back down on her feet. He opened his eyes to catch her own. There was something happening between them and neither one knew exactly what it was or how to go about it. Instead, he was just going to let things happen as they did. He didn't want to push her into anything, because if he was honest with himself, he didn't deserve her. Not even as a friend.

"I never blamed you..." She admitted softly.

"You should." He replied, already know what she was speaking of.

He had been there that night when his aunt had taken her blade and carved that derogatory word in her flesh, forever branding her. It was then that he felt the warmth of her hand on his face. Her thumb brushed across his chin. His body went rigid at her touch, not expecting it. "I don't blame you, never have. Harry never did either."

"What about the Weasley kid?"

"Ron? He may have; but it was more out of jealousy than anything logical."

Ron's opinion never mattered to Hermione when it came to that night. He hadn't seen the things she did and no matter what she said, he always dismissed it simply because he never liked Draco or anyone associated with him. At the time, she understood the reasons why; but as she discovered there was almost more to a story than just the one side.

Letting her hand fall away from his face, she pushed herself off the couch. He quickly stood to follow her to the door. Time had already passed them by and it was time for her to leave. He noticed that it just passed by far too quickly for his liking. "I'll bring that stuff over tomorrow if that's okay?" She offered with a slight smile.

"That should be fine. I don't plan on going anywhere." He replied holding her coat out to her.

"I'll see you then."

He nodded, as she opened the door. "Goodnight, Draco." She said walking out, closing the door behind her. Draco let out a frustrated sigh before moving to sit back down to continue drinking from the bottle on the table. Her scent was all over his shirt, creating a wave of desire that shouldn't be there. He knew that he shouldn't want her; but he did and doubted that it would go away any time soon, if ever. She had dug herself in without even realizing it. "Damnit..." He cursed letting his head fall back to stare at the ceiling.

"What am I supposed to do now?" He asked himself aloud running a hand over his head and across his face, collapsing fully to sofa.

 **End Note: Happy Holidays Everyone!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author Note: You readers are simply wonderful. I never expected this kind of response. I couldn't help but write another chapter for all of you. Hope you all enjoy it, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: annabeanlatte, SunLover92, Crayola369Kitten, Danikae, kkrrista, redroseblack, Phoenix823, indyjones88, GrangerManor, lydi13, lovinreading, lexa2611, BelovedEnemy83, nagativecreep91, pgoodrichboggs, flimflamx, Dindore, mikaylamalfoy12 and VeraDeDiamant for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: LightofEvolution(Thank you for referring my story to your readers), Legolas' Girl 31, negativecreep91, pgoodrichboggs, Guest and Dramonie shipper17 for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 5:

 **December 2** **nd** **, Hermione's Apartment**

She never slept in; but when Hermione rolled to her side to look at the clock it was reading almost noon. Groaning, she rolled back over onto her back. The white ceiling greeted her. The comfort of her blankets were just so warm that she didn't want to get out from underneath them; then it dawned on her that she told Draco that should would bring over extra Christmas decorations for him.

Thinking about him got her heart pumping a little faster. Yesterday had been completely unexpected, yet she wasn't going to deny the fact that she enjoyed spending time with him. She learned new things about him and he probably learned things about her. Holding her pillow tighter, she closed her eyes, attempting to push aside her emotions associated with Draco Malfoy. It also didn't help matters that she really didn't have anyone to talk to about them. Harry was always busy with work. Ginny was busy being a mother and Ron, he never wanted to listen before so why would he now.

"Okay, Hermione it's time to get up." She told herself tossing the blankets off.

Sliding her legs over the edge, her bare feet touched the plush carpet floor. She finally made her way into the bathroom to begin running water for a shower with the hopes it would wake her up. Stepping under the spray, her eyes closed as her fingers filtered through her long wet hair. Draco's face came almost immediately to mind. His blue-gray eyes were gorgeous and could easily draw her in, then she thought about her body being pressed against his. Her body was screaming with sensations she thought had long disappeared.

The longer she stood there the colder the water became, which in her mind wasn't all that bad considering how heated she had become in less than three minutes of thinking about Draco from the day before. Hermione shut the water off and reached for a towel to wrap herself in to keep the chill to a minimum.

The phone was ringing the second she walked out of the bathroom. Still clad in just a towel, she rushed over to grab the device. Pushing the button, she greeted whomever was on the other line. "Hey Hermione." Harry's voice answered, which surprised her.

"Hi, is there something wrong? You never call me." She asked.

"No no, nothing wrong. Ginny and I were wondering if you'd like to spend Christmas with us. We offered last year and you never showed. I really don't think spending another holiday alone is good for you."

"I appreciate your concern; but I'm fine. Ron asked me to spend Christmas with him and Lavender a few days ago."

"I know. You didn't answer him either."

Curling her bottom lip in, she didn't know what to tell him. If she was honest with herself, she really didn't want to bring either one of her friends down with her gloomy nature when it came to holidays. Sure, she decorated; but her heart wasn't in it anymore. There were rare moments when happiness would shine through; but they were few and far between. "I'm sorry. I wish I knew what to tell you guys. I'm just...not good company."

"That's not true. I was thinking of inviting Ron and Lavender out here as well. It would be like a reunion of sorts. Please think about it."

"Okay. I'll think about it."

"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure."

The line went dead and she returned the device to the stand. Turning on her feet, she went back to her bedroom to get dressed and pull out all the extra decoration that were shoved into the back of her closet. Pulling out a box, the contents spill over onto her unmade bed. Tinsel and ornaments scattered all over, Hermione picked them up and put them back into the box before carrying it out into the living room. "I hope he has a tree." She told herself grabbing her coat from the hook by the door.

Lifting the box back up, she stepped out of her apartment and locked the door behind her. Aiden waved at her in passing as he unlocked the gate for her. It was relatively easy to flag down a taxi when you looked like things were going to fall out of your hands. Most drivers took pity on women, which was a benefit to her in this particular case.

She shoved the box across the seat and slid in afterward. Telling the driver where to go, she pulled the door closed and enjoyed the short ride to Draco's apartment building. It was even better when the driver told her not to worry about the fee because of the short distance. He winked at her flirtatiously as she got out of the vehicle, pulling the box across the seat.

"Thank you." She said with a warm smile.

Her heart was starting to race again. Holding onto the box tighter, she weaved around a couple coming out of the double doors to get inside. Climbing the sets of stairs that would lead her to his home, her palms were becoming sweaty. She was nervous and didn't understand why. 16B stared right back at her as she chewed on her bottom lip again.

 **December 2** **nd** **, Draco's Apartment**

Sitting the box down on the hallway floor, she curled her hand into a fist and knocked on the wooden door. As she bent down to pick the box back up, the door opened only to find an angry Pansy staring right at her. Her short dark hair fell into her dark eyes. There was a fire burning behind them and Hermione could feel the anger rolling off her in waves. "What the hell Draco? You've already found a replacement...in her. Damnit! She's a mudblood, you idiot! Didn't your parents teach you anything?" Pansy shouted pushing the door open wider.

Draco narrowed his eyes even further than they already were. Hermione could tell that his patience was running thin. Pansy was infuriated by his silence. She stepped passed Hermione, careful not to brush up against her and stormed down the stairs. The words were gone and all Hermione could feel was the angst. "I'm sorry you had to see that. You didn't deserve to be called that." Draco apologized coming closer to her.

"Wouldn't be the first time someone called me that." She snapped without meaning to.

He looked away upon hearing her sharp tone. He knew what she was referring to. That same word came out of his mouth several times over the years, nothing would change that fact either. A loose curl from Hermione's hair fell into her eyes, eyes that were filled with a sadness that she wasn't willing to express.

She looked down at the box in her hands and he realized that she had come to bring him the extra Christmas decorations like she told him the prior night. He felt awful and didn't know what to do. "I should go." Hermione said turning away from his open door.

"No, please..." Draco replied reaching out to grab her arm from the junction at her elbow.

Stopping, she turned back towards him. There were emotions that not even she could describe written on his face. The hurt behind his eyes clawed at her heart, begging her to stay. She wasn't going to deny the fact that she was curious as to why Pansy was there or why she would assume that Draco had moved on the likes of her. "Stay. Is that the decorations you were talking about last night?" He asked trying to push aside what happen moments before hand.

"Yes."

"Come in."

Draco let go of her arm to allow her to make the decision herself. Hermione swallowed hard and took a step closer to him. A slight smile formed on his lips as he let her passed him to get inside. She sat the box on the counter and slipped out of her oversized coat. He watched intently, memorizing her features.

She was dressed in light colored jeans and a black stripped sweater with red trim. It dipped a little lower than her normal clothing, showing off a little of her cleavage. He wondered if she had worn it on purpose knowing where she was going to be. Once again, he had to push aside his desires and focus on how things progressed on their own without coaxing.

"Do you mind me asking what that was about?" Hermione asked stepping around the counter to open the box.

"She's never quite got over me, I suppose." He answered pouring water into a kettle.

"How long has it been?"

Draco placed the kettle on the stove and ignited the flame. He had to think about the question a moment, because not even him was real sure when it had ended between them. All he knew was that there was no satisfaction and they never really got along; but since his parents liked her, he felt like he owed it to them to continue on even though he was miserable for quite some time. "It's probably been over a year now. To me, it was over for longer than that. I wanted it to end way before graduation."

"It took a long time for Ron to accept that I didn't want anything more than friendship, eventually he moved on and found solace in Lavender."

"I apologize for her outburst towards you. She probably never excepted to see you at my door."

He let out a soft chuckle to himself and he reached into a top cabinet above the stove for two white packets. Hermione turned to watch him, admiring him from a distance. He was still dressed in black sleep pants that were low to his hips and a plain white t-shirt. The view of him left her mouth dry and her heart racing.

Mentally cursing herself to stop staring, she heard the kettle whistle. Draco poured the hot water into two mugs neatly placed on the opposite side of the stove. He then opened the packets that were clearly hot chocolate mix that already had the marshmallows in it. The smell waved under her nose and her stomach started to flutter.

"Here. It's hot chocolate." He said handing her a dark colored mug.

"Thank you." She replied accepting the drink.

Taking the first sip, the heavenly warmth slid down her throat. She could tell there was more he wanted to say about the previous incident; but figured she shouldn't push the issue. He'd tell her when he was ready to. She tried not to let that word bother her, even when she looked at her own arm it would stare right back at her. "The decorating may have to wait. I don't exactly have a tree just yet." He admitted.

"Oh..."

"I should have told you that last night."

"No big deal. I needed to get out anyway, minus the name calling."

She turned back towards the box and dug around through the ornaments to find a small plug-in ceramic painted tree. Draco hated how that word changed her demeanor. She acted like it didn't bother her; but he knew that it did. How could it not? His own aunt carved it into her flesh and he stood by and never lifted a finger to help. It was those moments that kept him up at night, gasping for a breath.

Thinking to himself, he never noticed her plug the little tree in on the counter and it lit up instantly. A smile curved her lips upward. "You know...both Harry and Ron asked me to spend Christmas with them." She said aloud, breaking the silence between them.

"I would assume they ask you every year. Don't they?"

"I haven't gone the last couple years."

"Why? Aren't you all good friends?"

Hermione shifted around with her back against the edge of the counter. She had spoken the words and now she had no choice but to answer the question. Never in a million years thought she would be talking this openly with Draco Malfoy, yet here she was spilling her guts to him in his own apartment. "I'm not exactly the best company. I've changed quite a bit since the war and I guess...I've never recovered."

"You are fine company...at least to me you are, so I'm sure that you would be fine company for them as well."

"Are you telling me that I should accept their offer?"

He took several steps closer to her, not understanding why he wanted to be closer to her. She lifted her head up to meet his gaze. The emotions swirled between them, creating heat that crawled up to her cheeks and pooled between her thighs. The man in front of her screamed sex appeal and the desire to undress him was maddening. "You do what you feel you need to do. No one needs to tell you otherwise." He expressed before looking inside the box.

"Thank you for these." He said again lifting a small box out of the bigger one.

He opened it and a small green plant with a red bow fell to the floor. Hermione immediately snatched it up, embarrassed. She knew what the plant was and had no idea how that had gotten into the decorations. Draco's devilish grin returned. He to had seen what the plants was and was amused on how flustered she became. "That was not supposed to be in there." She said tucking the small item into the front of her jeans pocket.

"Are you sure about that?" He asked in a teasing manor.

"Yes!"

Another chuckle escaped his mouth as he took another step closer to her, preventing her from escape. He reached into the front pocket of her jeans and pulled the mistletoe plant back out. She didn't think her cheeks could burn anymore than they already did; but the burning intensified. Not a single word could be formed in her mouth as her saliva ran dry. "So if I hung this over us, would you allow yourself to indulge in kissing me?" He asked.

"Draco..."

Lifting it above them, he waited to see how she would react before leaning in. Her bottom lip curled inward, under her top teeth. It was clearly a habit she did when she was nervous. His free hand rested on her hip, moving the fabric of her shirt away just a little so he could brush his thumb across the bare skin of her waist. A soft sigh escaped her lips as her eyes slight closed. "This...this is..." She stumbled over her words only to have them cut off by Draco's lips crashing down upon hers.

He pulled her to him, she could hear the object fall to the floor beside them. One hand cupped her face while the other wrapped around her waist. Her lips answered his movements slowly, savoring the taste of chocolate on his tongue mixed with his own unique flavor. Her hand slid up his chest to rest just above his heart. The beating was rapid just like hers. She was drowning in all the sensations that were fighting to the surface. He broke the connection and leaned his forehead against hers. "I really should go now." She said sliding out around him.

"Hermione..." He called using her first name.

She froze mid-step upon hearing it. He had never called her by her first name in all the years she had known him. It was always Granger and to hear her first name right after he had kissed her was just all too much for her to handle. The pleading look on his face was enough for her to crumble; but she needed some space to clear her head. "I'll see you soon, okay..." She said putting her shoes back on and slid back into her oversized coat.

Before Draco knew it, Hermione was out the door and he was alone. He bent down to pick up the piece of mistletoe from the kitchen floor and held it in his hand. Her lips were more soft than he ever though possible and the way she moved against him created a tightness in his lower half. He didn't want to admit there was more to the attraction than just simple desire; but he knew that it was more than that. He cursed Harry for being the one to ask him to look out for her, because now he had probably just fucked up and scared her off. That was something he didn't want and now would have to find a way to fix things between them.

He made a mental promise that he would do just that. Hermione Granger made him feel things that he thought were long gone and he wasn't about to let that go. He also knew that he would eventually have to tell her about the death threat and the report Harry had been trying to keep from her; but for now, he wanted to fix what he felt he did wrong by kissing her without permission.

 **End Note: Happy Holiday's, I hope you all enjoyed reading.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author Note: I'm totally blown away by the response I've been getting for this story compared to my previous one. I want to thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read it, review on it or follow/favorite it. It means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy the next chapter and let me know what you think of it.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Legolas' Girl 31, pgoodrichboggs, LightofEvolution, queenvampirebarbie and Dramonie shipper17 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: dancer01xox, CecilieDK, GoodGirlsBadBoys00, lexie-king, AutumnRose12452, Andrecbr, Sasha2121, lizagarner, AkikoSenri, logiebrown, caryesse, SamIAm0616, minigranger and Somnus Verus for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 6:

 **December 5** **th** **, Ministry of Magic**

Hermione stared at her large stack of paperwork that was begging for her attention. Her fingers held onto the beautiful quill with no movement. She couldn't stop thinking about the last time she had seen Draco. He had been more bold and readable with emotion. Maybe it had something to do with Pansy's appearance, she didn't know. All she knew was that he had done what she never thought would ever happen between them. He had kissed her and it wasn't just any simple kiss. He had pressed himself closer than she ever thought he would go.

His lips were soft and full of passion along with a longing that almost seemed desperate to feel something. Was he numb inside like she was? Was he alone like she was? There were so many questions that ran miles inside her mind. She still couldn't grasp her own thoughts around the events that happened in his kitchen. A part of her wanted to see where it would go; but there was another part of her that was skeptical of everything. It just seemed too good to be true, almost planned out.

"Dwelling on it isn't going to help anything..." She told herself, in the process of forcing her hand to move across the page.

A soft knock on the frame of her open door startled her. Looking up quickly, her eyes met those of Harry himself. No surprise there. She had been avoiding him as well for the last few days. There was already enough to hide from him and looking at him now, the urge to spill her guts to him was overwhelming. "Hermione..." He called stepping inside the room a little further.

"What can I do for you?" She asked mentally hoping that it was just a business visit and not a personal one.

He held up the file he had borrowed from her a few days prior, which meant he was there to return it. It got her wondering why she didn't send someone else to return it and why did he come himself. She marveled if Draco refused to do the task after she had left him alone moments after the kiss had ended. "Came to return this. I appreciate it." Harry answered handing her the folder.

"No problem at all. You know you can ask for my help anytime."

"I know. There was another reason as to why I came myself today."

"Oh...why's that?"

Hermione regretted asking that. The look on his face was a sure indication that he intended to ask her personal questions. Looking down at her work to avoid his gaze, she swallowed the lump in her throat. "I've been worried about you. I know you need space; but we miss you. Ginny misses you." Harry admitted.

"I am sorry. I'm...I'm just different now..."

"We still love you and want to be there for you. None of us can understand what you went through that day; but keeping a distance from us isn't going to help."

"Is that why you've been sending Draco down here for random little things? So he can keep an eye on me, is that it? And since when did you trust him with anything?"

She didn't mean for her anger to get the better of her; but it did. Harry took the blunt of her outburst, hoping that it would get her to open up to him again. They used to tell each other everything; however, it all changed once the war ended and the subject of her torture was the cause of her nightmares.

He wasn't going to deny the fact that he did indeed send Draco with the tasks so he could keep an eye on her. The fire in her chocolate eyes was proof that the old Hermione was still in there somewhere.

"Draco is one of the best Aurors we have here and clearly he isn't the same person he used to be. I've gotten to know him quite a bit over the last couple of years; so yes, I do trust him to do as I ask of him regardless of what the task is."

"So why didn't you send him today?"

"He isn't here, hasn't been for the last couple of days."

That information perked her interest. Draco hadn't come to work at all since the kiss happened. Out of reflex, she curled her bottom lip inward. Was the reason he wasn't there because of what she did? Was it her fault? She wanted to ask for more details but thought better of it for fear of Harry finding out about her attraction to the man in question.

Harry studied her reaction to mentioning Draco's absence and to his surprise, she seemed full of guilt. Her eyes swirled with even more emotion than before and most of them he understood except for a single expression that caught him off guard. His friend was worried about Draco Malfoy.

"Hermione...did something happen? You look concerned." He asked.

"Of course not. I'm just taken aback by the fact he actually missed work. He's been such a stickler for perfect attendance."

"I know. He said he needed to take some personal time and would be back Monday."

A week for personal time seemed like a lot to her. Harry searched her face for anything else he should know. Thankfully she knew how to hide the real important things from him, always could. He smiled adoringly at her. She couldn't help but return the gesture. Standing up, she crossed the room to wrap her arms around his neck in a friendly embrace. "Really think about Christmas, okay. I know it would do you some good to be around people that really care about you."

"I will...thank you..."

Pulling away from him, Harry left her office. Learning of Draco's leave of absence, her mind went back to racing a million miles a minute trying to figure out what to do. She rushed through the stack of papers on her desk with the hope of being able to leave early. Once it was finished, she packed her things up and left the office. Draco's face flashed behind her eyes as she walked.

Fighting the urge to see him, she continued on towards the gate of her apartment complex. Aiden greeted her warmly with a cheerful voice and a smile on his face. She waved at him in passing. Unlocking the door, Hermione stepped inside the comfort of her living space. She never left the office earlier than five and here it was only four. Stripping out of her robes, she walked back to her bedroom for something else more comfortable.

Deciding upon a part of black leggings, red and black plaid skirt with a black button up top with flared sleeves. Her hair was still pulled up in a messy bun, held in place by a small clip, she moved back out to the kitchen for her black knee-high boots and her coat.

She needed to get out for a walk to clear her mind. Three days without speaking to Draco was harder than she thought it was going to be. It was weird to miss someone so quickly into whatever it was that was forming between them. Though, she couldn't deny it. She missed him, missed his touch, missed the way he looked at her and missed those soft lips on hers. Thinking about it again left a dull ache between her thighs and left her growling in frustration before closing the front door behind her.

The cold air smacked her in the face; but it was welcomed to cool her heated body down. Aiden once again waved at her as she left the complex. The gate closed behind her almost seconds after she stepped through it. Hermione walked wherever her legs decided to take her, which happened to be the park. Standing across the pathway to look at the massive decorated tree in the center, her mind wandered back to Draco.

The attraction between them was undeniable; however, there were plenty of questions that kept her from really indulging in it completely. Why was he attracted to her, when he tormented her in school? Did her blood status matter him still? Sitting down on the bench behind her, she ran a hand over the top of her head and filtered her fingers through her curls that had fallen out of her bun.

When she looked back up, Pansy was staring at her from a distance. It wasn't the person she had been hoping to see. Not in the least. Pansy started to walk toward her and a tightness formed in her throat. There wasn't anything she wanted to say to this woman, not after being called a 'mudblood' three days before that. "You look distressed? Draco drop you like he did me?" She asked.

"For your information, we aren't anything except co-workers. I was only bringing him some Christmas decorations, cause I knew he didn't have any, when you decided to lash out at me." Hermione responded calmly but sternly.

Pansy sneered at the answer. Her expensive coat shimmered against the lighting of the tree behind her. The old Hermione would have used some kind of spell to humiliate her; but now, she didn't feel it would do any good. Pansy would always be stuck up and selfish. There was no changing that. "You are what you are, no good fling will change that." She retorted before turning heel and leaving Hermione to feel ashamed once again.

With Pansy's words fresh on her mind, she got up from the bench and continued deeper into the park until she stood in the spot Draco had shown her. The same place his mother, Narcissa Malfoy, took him as a child to see the frozen stream. The snow covered field was a breathtaking view. The trees held such a peaceful nature to them with the snow resting on all the branches.

Staring at the cloudless sky, Hermione watched the stars twinkle. She had no idea how long she stood there for, except for the fact that her fingers were starting to go numb from the cold. A snapping sound from a twig alerted to someone behind her. Whirling around, her eyes met those of his. The blue-grays color she had come to enjoy looking at up close.

"Granger..." He stated softly, not bothering to use her first name like he had when she was bolting away from him.

"I'm...I'm sorry...I shouldn't...have come here..." She said pulling her coat up closer to her face, attempting to walk out around him.

"Please stay..."

His voice was more than whisper. Her feet froze from taking another step. Turning her head slightly, she could see his pleading expression on his face. Her fingers were burning from the cold so she quickly placed them in the pockets of her coat, hoping they would get warm soon. Draco stood firm in his place for a few more seconds before shifting to stand right before her. "This spot is a public place, you can visit it whenever you please." He said doing his best not to take a hold of her, pressing his lips back onto her until she begged for more.

"I just...knew how much it meant to you. I'm sure the last person you want to see standing in it...is me."

"Why would you say that? Because you ran off after I kissed you?"

"Yeah...pretty much..."

He chuckled lightly at the answer. She wasn't the first woman to bolt from his kiss, that wasn't what affected him. What affected him the most, was the fact that she had kissed him back and could feel her hands on his chest. She had enjoyed it as much as he did. She bolted out of fear and he couldn't understand why.

Hermione shivered when a gust of wind blew through them. Draco noticed almost instantly that she was indeed cold and figured that the scenery wasn't the best place for a conversation like theirs to continue. "You're cold. How about we talk somewhere warmer." He offered taking a few steps closer to her.

"That would probably be a good idea. I can't feel my hands anymore."

He placed a hand on her lower back to urge her forward. She lifted her hand out of her pocket for a moment to brush a stray chunk of her hair out of her face. Draco caught her hand with his. The warmth of his was enough to make her shiver at the simple touch. "Your hand really is cold." He commented half-teasing her.

"I told you." She replied with a smile.

Her smile was something he had been dying to see for days. There wasn't anything better than to see the brightness in it to dull the ache in his heart from the loneliness he felt from years of being formed into a person he wasn't. Lacing his fingers through hers, he could feel her stiffen obviously surprised. It didn't take her long to curl her fingers around his, soaking up the warmth in the process.

Draco noticed that she was leading them to her apartment building instead of his. He hadn't expected that. He figured that they would end finishing the conversation in his apartment, instead she turned the tables on him. Letting go of his hand, she pushed the button to be let back inside. "Back, Miss Granger?" Aiden asked lightly.

"Yes. It's quite cold out here tonight." She answered.

The sound of the gate clicking open was a relief to both of them. The bitterness of the wind was really getting to them. They walked through as Hermione lead the way to her secluded apartment in the back corner. Draco looked around and admired the design of the building. It was well thought out and much better laid out than his building.

She turned the key and sprung the lock free, the door opening without much effort. The smell of apple cinnamon waved under his nose and coaxed himself to calm down. There really wasn't anything to be nervous about, despite the fact that it was indeed Hermione's place of residence not his. Kicking the door behind her, she slid out of her coat and blew warm air from her mouth into her hands.

"Do you want something to drink?" She asked opening one of the lower cabinets near the refrigerator.

"Whatever your drinking is fine with me." He answered, trying to not to stare at her backside when she was bent over.

Hermione could feel his hot stare from behind and the flush in her cheeks returned almost instantly. She forced herself not to think about where his eyes lay, only focusing on the task at hand. A bottle of fire whiskey was in her hand when she returned to the upright position. Draco never pegged her to be a big drinker; but knew there were sides to her that he knew nothing about. It intrigued him further to know every little part of her. Physically and mentally.

She grabbed two small glasses from a second cabinet above the sink. The amber liquid was poured into the glasses and then one was handed to him. He held onto it, debating on drinking it at all. That was until he watched her lift the edge to her lips and tilt her head back, swallowing it in on single gulp.

"Harry told me that you took personal time." She said breaking the silence.

Tilting his own head back, he enjoyed the warmth and the burn from the liquid to warm his insides up. "Yes, I did. After you left, I thought I should probably rethink things before facing you again." He admitted, which was the truth. He had questioned his sanity in kissing her that night, knowing how different they really were.

"I'm sorry. I...was just overwhelmed with it all."

""It doesn't matter. It happened and nothing can change it now."

Draco sat his empty glass on the counter before turning away from her again. He looked into her living room and the neat organization of her belongings, which was completely different than her office at The Ministry. There were photos of her with Harry and Ron scattered across the space. He had to smile a little at the image, because he knew that no matter what she would always have them. "It does matter, Draco." She replied coming closer to him.

"Not really. I kissed you, you fled...not really a big deal."

"I...shouldn't have fled, because I...wanted it to."

He raised an eyebrow at her answer. Hermione continued to close the gap between them. They stood at the junction between the living room and the hallway that lead to the rest of her apartment. Her eyes were on him, searching his eyes for anything that would confirm that she wasn't crazy for wanting the same things as he did.

His desire for her tugged at him, causing a tightness to form below his pants line. The lights from her own decorated tree reflecting in her eyes, adding another level of beauty to her already addicting features. He damn near lost the control that was hanging on by a thread when he felt her hand rest on his chest. "Hermione..." He whispered, trying for it to not sound so desperate.

The sound of her name rolling out of his mouth, had her leaning in. Gripping his shirt in her fist, her lips pressed onto his. A soft groan escaped his throat as Draco pressed further until her back was against the wall. He dived his tongue through her parted lips, receiving a taste of her. Her nails dug into his arms with a soft moan of her own.

He shifted his free hand to curl under her thigh to lift the entire leg around his waist only to press his growing length against her. She moaned again, this time he left her mouth, trailing hot open mouth kisses to the shallow of her neck stopping right at her ear. "I would love to strip you down and taste every single part of your body..." He whispered, blowing warm air across her sensitive skin.

"I..." She attempted to speak; but was cut off by his mouth covering hers once again.

She was wet, heated with arousal that beyond indescribable with words. His tongue danced along hers then moved to suck her bottom lips between his teeth, leaving it slightly puffy. The lust coated his eyes when he finally opened them to look down at her. She panted, trying to catch a single even breath of air.

Releasing her leg, she shifted against him to stand more straight. She was wondering why he hadn't followed through with what he said that he wanted to do. It almost disappointed her in a way. She was so hot with desire it was almost painful. "As much as I would love to continue...I can't...it wouldn't be right." He said.

"I don't understand."

"I'm trying to be as gentlemanly as I can be here."

He backed away from her and turned to sit down on the sofa. She blinking a couple times before joining him. There had to be more to his reason that just trying to be a gentleman, she just knew it. Neither one of them knew what was forming between them and neither one really forced to figure it out. Draco sat still, trying to ease the ache his groin and was startled to feel Hermione's head against his shoulder.

The smile action took his breath away. He never imagined her not to be so pushy, because pushy was all he had seen of her growing up. The smell of her shampoo filtered through his nose, allowing him to lift an arm to wrap it around her. "I saw Pansy at the park tonight." She stated closing her eyes, breathing in his comforting scent from his chest.

"Oh..."

"She was still her self-center bitch of a self."

He let out a low chuckle. It surprised him to hear her curse like that, not that he didn't think that she could, he just never thought it would hear it like that. He liked it. Hearing her speak of Pansy, made him think that he wouldn't never be good enough for Hermione. Ghosts of the past still haunted him almost every night, making him damaged goods. It made him wonder if she could handle that. There was only one way to find out, right?

Pushing her head off his chest, she looked at him perplexed. "I need to get going. I have an errand to run." He said moving to stand up.

Hermione got up to walk him to the door. The words she wanted to say left her mouth. She wanted to kiss him again; but was left disappointed when it didn't happen. He opened the door and was almost out when he turned back around. "Do you think that you would like to have dinner at my place tomorrow night?" He asked suddenly.

"Dinner at your place?" She questioned, wondering if she had hear him correctly.

"I do know how to cook, Granger."

"That perks my interest. I accept."

A coy smile upturned his lips just as he leaned in to captures her in a single searing kiss that left Hermione breathless. "I'll see you around seven then..." He whispered before pecking her cheek. She watched him leave the whole way until he was passed the gate. It was then that the butterflies began to flutter in her stomach.

"Dinner with Draco, is that considered a date?" She asked herself aloud.


	7. Chapter 7

**Author Note: Officially 100 followers! I simply love seeing all the activity this story is getting. I do appreciate all the kind words I've been getting with this. Thank you. Heard a new song today that I've completely fallen in love with and it has inspired a few new ideas. Here is the next chapter, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: becca0903, Draco lover 91, SlytherinMind, Gryffindor4eva, Nicolette Darke, CemeteryGirl19, ndavis77, Ray49, zoesheppard, tinkerbelldetention101, EnidBarb and mrsmalfoy0506 for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: LightofEvolution, Legolas' Girl 31 and pgoodrichboggs for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 7:

 **December 6** **th** **, The Ministry of Magic**

The Ministry was bustling with activity. A trial was taking place later on that day, one that Hermione had no place in or even that particularly interested in. Lucius Malfoy's trial wouldn't be until next week and that was the one she had an interest in. Draco seemed to be alright with the publicity when it came to his father's trial; but she had a feeling that was far from the truth. She was certain that he was hiding his true feelings about the situation from her and everyone else for that matter.

Of course, thinking about him brought back the nervous butterflies in the pit of her stomach. She still wasn't sure if he truly had asked her to come to his place for dinner. It all felt like a hazy dream to her. A pleasant one to be sure; but there was something nagging at her that she couldn't figure out.

Turning in her chair, her eyes wandered to the bookcase behind her. There was a spot empty on the middle left shelf. It struck her as odd, because she knew that no one had come in to borrow anything lately. There was only one person that would ask to see informative stuff and that was Janey; but there were little tasks that kept her focus for the time being. Scooting closer to see what it was that was missing, her eyes widened a little when the realization came to her. Her book on Chimaeras was gone.

The confusion was unraveling within as she was trying to figure out where it could have gone, then she remembered that Draco had helped her organize her office a little. She'd have to ask him if he had seen it when they had dinner later on. She didn't want to think that someone had taken it for some other reason other than learning. Chimaeras were not creatures to mess with. They were deadly and could never be tamed by a wizard or a witch.

Hermione stood up from her chair and made her way out of her office. Her legs stretched to accommodate her weight as she made her way to the second level of the building. Several people stopped and talked to her on her way down to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Most were curious as to what she's been up to lately, in which she would respond to as politely as she could while still trying to make haste.

The large wooden door were the only barrier between her and the Department. Pushing them open, dozens of Aurors were busy working in their cubicles. Some she knew and others she didn't. A smile tugged her lips up as each one of them looked up from their work to take a glance in her direction.

"Can I help you, Miss Granger?" A deep male voice asked.

Hermione turned to see a talk man, average height with probably the brightest blue eyes she had ever seen. His face looked like it had been chiseled out of stone and mirrored from a Greek god. "I'm here to Harry." She said simply, holding her ground.

"Of course, right this way." He answered with a nod of his head.

The man lead her through the pathways in between cubicles and when they were passed them all another set of wooden doors were in sight. Her eyes searched every detail looking for a trace of where Draco worked. The large doors were pushed open to reveal a hallway. There were three large doors that formed a triangle. She could see Harry's name plastered to the front of the door at the far back, right where the tip of the triangle would form.

To the right of her, Draco's name was written on the front of the glass while to the left her remained nameless. She wondered if it even had an occupant. "You'll be able to find your way back out, yes?" He asked snapping her out of her thought.

"Yes, I should be just fine."

"Good, I have things to attend to."

Before she could answer him, he turned his back to her. Hermione found him to be rude and didn't like him one bit. Standing in front of Harry's office, her hand formed a fist to connect with the sturdy glass. "Come in!" His voice shouted.

She opened the door to see him buried in work. His head was down, quill in hand and his glasses down the bridge of his nose. "Some things never change." She stated closing the door behind her.

"Hermione..." He answered looking up from his work, obviously surprised to see her.

"Hey..."

"What are you doing down here?"

She contemplated what to say to that. Why did she come there? Was it because she couldn't focus on her own work? Or was it cause she just missed one of her best friends or even the fact that she was nervous about later on. "To be honest...I don't know. I just..."

"Just what? Hermione, is there something wrong?"

Harry was becoming alarmed by her lack of communication. He was beginning to fear the worst; but when he saw the blush on her cheeks, he relaxed a bit. There was something personal at work here. "Remember when you told me that I could tell you anything and you wouldn't judge?" She asked curling her bottom lip inward like he had seen from her the day before in her office.

He raised his head up even further and quickly got out of his chair to join her from the other side of his desk. She fumbled with her hands in front of her. "Yes, I remember telling you that. What's going on?" Harry asked with an increased worry for his friend.

"You see...I kind of have a dinner date...tonight." She answered softly, shying away from his eyes.

"That's wonderful, Hermione! Who is it?"

"He actually works under you."

This puzzled Harry for a moment until he realized whom she spoke of. He had noticed a difference in Draco from the time he asked him to take on the secret mission of the death threat on Hermione and the sighting of a Chimaera. It never dawned on him that Draco would develop an attraction on the subject of protection. "Wow...I never thought you'd be his type." He said softly.

"Would it bother you? I kind of want to see where this goes; but I won't if it's going to bother you."

Harry reached out to place his hands on her shoulders, towering over her just a few inches. Sure, the potential relationship surprised him; but he also knew that Draco was not the same person he once had been all those years ago. War had changed him and he deserved a chance at happiness just like Hermione did. "It will be different; but it won't bother me. Unless he hurts you and then I'll be bothered."

She laughed lightheartedly. It was the first laugh she could feel herself carefree. Harry wrapped his arms around her tightly. He definitely missed their closeness. The way they could tell each other things and neither would judge on what was said. He was always going to cherish their bond, even if it had been strained on several different occasions over the years.

 **December 6** **th** **, Hermione's Apartment**

"Oh my god!" Hermione shouted out of frustration.

She tossed everything she had from her closet onto her bed. Not knowing what to wear was annoying her on so many levels. Nothing stood out to her, not to mention she had no idea if this was truly a date or not. It could just be a simple dinner between friends, if that's what they were. Her mind went back to their latest kiss. The feel of her back against the wall and her leg hooked around his waist so she could feel his hard length against her core.

Shivering at the thought of it all, she turned to the back of her closet for the last remaining article of clothing. Still wrapped in a large black towel, she finally decided on a long navy blue skirt with a slit up the side and matching blouse.

Staring into the mirror, she started to put on a little make-up. Nothing extreme, just a little color to her eyes and a gloss to her lips. Her hair was down in large curls across her back. Spraying a little perfume, she was finally ready to go. Hermione shut the lights off and turned to open the front door. A gasp escaped her mouth when she saw what was in front of her. "Oh my god, Janey! What happened?" She asked wrapping an arm around the severely beaten woman.

Her face was puffy and red, already forming bruises around the eye. Blood was dried near her lip and caked onto her hands with the dozens of little scraps. "I don't know..." She said softly.

Hermione eased the trembling woman down onto the sofa in the living room and went for a glass of water. Janey took the glass and sipped the cool clear liquid. "I was hit from behind and then from the front; but I never saw who it was or what it was." She said against snuggling her head into the pillow.

"Where were you when this happened?" Hermione asked trying to get an idea of what to look for.

"The alley near my place..."

She nodded as she reached over to grab the nearby blanket. Covering Janey up in its warmth, she allowed the shaken woman to fall asleep; but not without telling that she'd be back soon. Leaving the small light in the kitchen on, she turned to leave the apartment.

The entire walk to Draco's building, her mind continued to go over all the wounds on Janey's body. She wanted to say that the attack from a human; but couldn't rule anything out when it came to the magical world. She also knew that she was going to need Draco's help in solving this particular thing. She knew creatures, he knew people.

Climbing the several sets of stairs, 16B finally came into view. She nervously knocked on the door and waited patiently for him to answer. Hearing a little shuffling from behind the door, it opened to reveal a causally dressed Draco with an ever so modest smile upon his lips. She wanted to kiss those lips, remembering just how they felt against hers; but she remembered Janey laying on her couch. "You look distressed? What's wrong?" He asked gently placing a hand on her arm.

The smell of delicious food made her stomach grumble as he issued her inside, closing the door behind them. It felt wrong to want to enjoy these moments, especially when someone was injured in her apartment and the person or creature who did it was still out there. "A woman that works under me in the 'Being' Division came to me severely beaten. She's resting on my couch; but I don't know if it was a person or a creature."

"Did she tell you where it happened?" He asked, forgetting about the plans he had made for them.

"The alley near her place."

Draco walked around the counter and turned the oven off. He took the pan that was inside out and quickly wrapped it in foil before placing it in the refrigerator. Hermione watched him curiously, because he then walked back around the counter to grab his coat and slipped on some shoes that were next to the door. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"We are going to that alley. It won't take long for evidence to slip away in this weather." He answered opening the door.

Hermione wasn't going to argue with him. Following after him, they descended the stairs to exit the building. Snow was already starting rain down from the sky, leaving a little window of opportunity at the evidence left behind. "So where does this woman live?" Draco asked flagging down a taxi.

"Like five minutes away from The Ministry."

The taxi stopped, both of them got inside quickly. Hermione told the driver where to go and they rested in the back quietly, neither one knowing what to say. The night was supposed to consist of having dinner and talking; but as the tables turned, they were now working a case that no one knew about yet.

Draco's hand slid over to rest on her thigh. A forbidden shiver of pleasure coursed through her, centering itself at her sensitive womanhood. "I apologize for ruining tonight..." She said lowering her head.

"Hey." He said softly, placing a hand on the side of her face. "You didn't ruin anything. Shit happens and duty calls tonight. There will be other days to have dinner. I don't plan on forgetting about it." He encouraged.

A smile replaced her frown and it made his heart swell. The sight of her smile left him breathless and wanting to be a hopeless romantic, even if he knew that would never be the case. He wanted to see her smile and that would be enough for him. Leaning in slightly, he tucked hair behind her ear with a want to taste her lips again.

The car stopped with a jolt, sending Draco to back away from her. He paid the driver and they got out only to stand in nearly a white haze. The snow was falling a lot quicker than it had been ten minutes prior. It concerned Draco that he wouldn't be able to find anything with the way the weather was behaving and he didn't want to use magic out in the open to stop it from running its course. "This way..." Hermione pointed to the small alley to the left of them.

Draco slipped his fingers through hers, holding onto her hand gently. Turning down the alley, boxes littered the place from every which direction along with trash. Hermione pulled her hand away from his to kneel down next to one of the fallen trashcans. Blood was spotted along the ground that hadn't been covered in snow just yet.

She reached into her bag for an eyedropper and a vial. Sucking up the crimson fluid, she put it into the small container and closed the top before slipping it back into her bag. Her eyes found Draco kneeling down, his face scrunched in what was called 'The Thinking Look'. "Anything?" She asked hoping he had a little more than she did.

"This was definitely done by a person. A creature would have left a piece of fur, feather or even a claw mark behind. There isn't anything here suggests that. That blood you found might either be the attacker or from the woman. The only way to know for sure is to have it tested by one of the lab personnel."

"Why Janey though? She just started a few months ago." Hermione asked.

"Which sub-division did you say she works in?"

"Being."

Draco knew it couldn't just be a coincidence. The said woman works in the same department as Hermione. He thought about the death threat Harry had shown him. He toyed with the thought of Janey being targeted because of Hermione. "I've kind of shown her a lot. I'm probably closest to her out of everyone in the department."

There was his answer. Janey was a target because of her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the alley, ignoring her protests and questions. He flagged down yet another taxi. "What is the problem, Draco?" She asked turning to look at him while the driver took them back to her place of residence.

"I've got a bad feeling. She shouldn't be left alone."

Hermione settled her anger at him for the time being; but when sirens blared passed them, she knew there was something wrong. Her grip on Draco's hand tightened. The car stopped suddenly, caught in the middle of a blocked off section of the road. Several rescue trucks surrounded the building, while others were spraying water on the large blaze.

A sinking feeling of dread consumed her and without hesitation, she bolted from the car. The flames were ripping her home to pieces. All other residents were outside the building, evacuated or rescued. Hermione didn't see Janey anywhere. Fear clawed its way through her whole being. "JANEY!" She screamed running towards the gate.

"Hermione!" Draco shouted from behind her.

An explosion ignited the flames outward, causing everyone to gasp out in horror. Hermione lunged forward only to be held back by strong arms. Draco held onto her, refusing to let go. She fought against him, struggling to get free. "You can't help her." He told her sternly.

"Please, let go..." She cried.

"If you go in there, you will die along with her. I'm not risking that."

Succumbing to the realization that Janey would not survive such a fire, the tears rolled down her cheeks. Feeling her tremble in his arms tore into him, awakening emotions he had forgotten existed. He knew that she would blame herself for what happened and that bothered him quite a bit.

The crowd began to dissipate, the residents found other places to stay. Only Draco and Hermione remained until the fire was put to rest. Police went in to search for evidence of what caused the fire and for anyone left behind.

"Hermione..." Draco called softly.

"I'm not leaving until I know..."

"Okay..."

They didn't have to wait long. A body covered in a blue plastic was being wheeled out of her apartment. No doubt in their minds that it was the remains of Janey. A free police officer approached the couple. Draco felt the need to shield Hermione from the questions; but knew that he couldn't. It was her place of residence that had caught fire. "Are you Hermione Granger?" He asked opening a small notebook.

"Yes..." She replied choking on the small word, because all she wanted to do was cry for being so careless.

"We found a body in the apartment. Do you know who that would be?"

"Janey Nissel, she was a co-worker of mine and a friend. She came to me for shelter..."

Not fully the truth, it was enough to satisfy the police officer to stop the questions. Draco urged her to walk. The helplessness returned, just like it been there the night his aunt Bellatrix tortured her on the foyer floor in the mansion. There was nothing he could to ease her pain of loss. The only thing he could do was take her to his apartment and let her rest.

He mentally cursed Harry for not allowing him to tell Hermione about the threat in the first place. This death may have been avoided had she known about it. It was time to tell her himself regardless of the consequences from Harry and the anger he would no doubt get from Hermione. She deserved to know why her friend died and once she slept, he would tell her.

 **End Note: I struggled with that chapter, hopefully you enjoyed it. Happy New Year to each and every one of you readers!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author Note: Thank you for all the wonderful activity this story keeps getting. I apologize for the late update. I haven't quite adjusted to the new medication I've been put on just yet. It was making me sick. The good news is, this is no longer going to be a short story. I foresee this going for quite a while. Here is the new chapter. Let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: punklena, ndavis77, roon0, Legolas' Girl 31, pgoodrichboggs LightofEvolution and Ruselly Adita for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Slyllumi, SassenachStarbuck, k2swis, HarryPGinnyW4eva bookworm6023, Dougyes62,Usagi Grandchester, PartyLikeGinger, jennifercmcfadden, darkcarola17, EIE1966 and Sylvid5 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 8:

Draco didn't know what to do other than keep watch on the sleeping woman on his couch. He could still see the violent flames that threatened to consume the entire apartment building Hermione lived in. He never expected things would progress this fast. It made him wonder how long Harry knew about the death threat before he finally let him in on the information.

Sitting down on the a bar-stool next to the counter, he looked down at the newspaper. His father's trial once again made headlines. He cringed at the thought of all the publicity it was getting. He hated all the attention and would rather live in peace. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Hermione turning frantically to her side, softly whimpering in her sleep. A nightmare was most likely ripping her slumber to pieces.

He went through every moment from the alley forward, trying to find some kind of evidence that something hadn't been right about the whole situation; but nothing stood out to him. Lifting his bottle of beer to his lips, he took a swig from the opening. The clock on the counter flashed repeatedly, reminding him that it was only eleven. The night was still fresh as he stared across the room to the large windows that gave the best view of the city.

A soft knocking came to his front door, interrupting his thoughts. He quietly moved to the door and opened it gently. Harry stood with a concerned look upon his face. He was breathing heavily, which meant he probably ran the whole way there from his home from across the city. When he called The Ministry about the fire and about the possibility that the dead person they found was indeed Janey Nissel, he knew they would want to do an investigation of their own. That, of course, meant informing Harry of what happened.

"What happened, Draco?" Harry asked as calmly as possible.

"Keep your voice down. She's sleeping." He said taking a step to the side to let Harry inside.

"Explain to me what happened?"

There really wasn't much to explain. He moved to sit back down on the stool. The bottle of beer found his lips once more, contemplating on what to tell his boss. Hermione's cries still echoed inside his mind and the way she trembled against him in sobbing fits for the woman she had considered a friend. "She came here right after Janey arrived at her place all beat up. I assume whoever did that was the one who set the fire in Hermione's apartment. They were hoping to catch her inside." Draco answered.

"The body they found was indeed Janey's. The Ministry confirmed it an hour ago; however, according to the report...she was dead before the fire caught her body."

"So someone broke in and killed her, then set the place on fire. Someone really didn't want her talking to Hermione about something."

Harry turned his head to look at the still sleeping form of Hermione. He couldn't imagine how she was going to handle everything once it was all out in the open. He also couldn't ignore how Draco looked at her. There was something happening between them whether he wanted it happen or not. He hoped that it would turn out okay for the long haul. She deserved to be happy after everything she's been through over the years. The test now was keeping her safe from whoever has made the threat on her life.

Hermione stirred. Her eyes slowly opened to hear voices, familiar voices. Draco's rough dialogue mixed with Harry's soothing vocal point, except Harry wasn't calm. He was harsh and it was Draco that was the calm one. "This gets more and more complicated the further we dive into it." Harry commented.

"What get more complicated?" Hermione asked sitting up from the couch.

She looked around, realizing that she wasn't in her own living space. It was Draco's subtle coloration and open windows she loved to look through. That's when it all came back to her. The fire and her own screams as she frantically tried to get out of Draco's arms to save Janey. Her eyes opened wide, the color on her skin paling that her original color. "Hermione..." Harry called moving to sit down next to her.

"I just...remember what happened..." She replied in a whisper.

"It wasn't your fault."

Narrowing her eyes in anger, she stood up from abruptly. "How is it not! She came to me for help and what did I do? Fucking nothing!" She yelled with the glassiness returning to her eyes. Draco was stunned by her choice of words; but also, it surprised him to see her so torn apart about this death. She had seen death many times before; but somehow, this one really shook her to the core.

"Hermione...she was dead before the fire happened." Harry explained.

"Do you really think that changes things? She's still dead and I have no idea why. Why would anyone want to hurt her?" She asked turning away, grabbing the bottle of beer on the counter and took a long drink from it.

The bitter flavor rolled down her throat before turning to look at Draco fully. She could tell there was something on his mind and hated the fact that he could calm the fury within her with just one look of comfort. He reached for her hands, rubbing her knuckles with the pad of his thumb. "I believe she was targeted because whoever did this wants to hurt you." He said, hoping that she didn't pull away from him.

"What do you mean?"

It was Harry's turn to come forward. There was a lot he hadn't been saying and that stuff he was hiding from Draco. He's told no one, not even Ginny. The one person he told everything to, regardless if she wanted to know it or not. There was a brief glance between the two men, signifying that it had to be said. "A month or two ago a letter came to us. It was a threat of death upon your head. There was no signature or prints on the paper or even a magical one. I tried so many things to figure out who would attempt such a thing...nothing came of it."

"So you both knew something was wrong and you didn't tell me..."

"I only informed Draco a few days ago of the threat, because I needed more help. Obviously, he's taken his job seriously..."

The last part of his statement caught Draco off guard. He never expected him to say such a thing. Did he really think his attraction to Hermione was because of the job he had been tasked with? He turned to look at his boss with a look of disdain. Hermione watched closely before opening her mouth to speak her opinion on the matter. She was indeed angry; but didn't want to loose her composure completely. "So you think the only reason Draco asked me to dinner was because of the job you gave him to 'so called' protect me?" She snapped pulling her hands from Draco's to clench them at her sides.

"That isn't important here. Your life is in danger and I need his head in the game. I don't want to bury another person important to me."

"When isn't our lives in danger, Harry? There is always some kind of darkness that wants us dead for what we did to Voldemort. You should have told me about the letter the second it came in. Oh, and my happiness is important to me."

Harry remained wordless. He knew that she was right in the fact that he should have told her about the threat. She took a step back, behind Draco's tall frame. It hurt to know that she trusted him more than him, though he couldn't blame her. He wronged her and that was going to take some time to heal. "I'm sorry, Hermione. I really thought I could do this without having you bury yourself in more work than you already do."

"That was my choice to make. Tell Kingsley that I'm taking a few days off."

"Of course..."

"I need a shower, Draco..."

He walked towards the hallway to open the small closet across from the bathroom to pull a large dark green towel then walked into his bedroom to find her something to wear. Pulling out a black t-shirt and a pair of sleep pants, he handed them to Hermione. She nodded as she stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. "You better keep her safe, because if anything happens to her...The Ministry will be the least of your worries." Harry stated opening the door, then slamming it shut behind him.

XxXxXxXx

Hermione stood under the hot spray of water. The words of her best friend rolled across her mind over and over again. Someone wanted to end her life and took Janey's because of it. That was a lot to take in and it hurt more than she was willing to admit. Janey was full of life and her smile could brighten anyone's day. Now that was gone and it was her fault. "Was this how Harry felt during our years in school?" She asked herself mentally.

Turning the water off, she slid the curtain open. The cold air hit her skin sending chills up her spine, prickling her skin with goosebumps. Wrapping the towel around herself, the softness embraced her. The clothes he had given smelled of him, putting her a little more at ease. Finally emerging from the bathroom, she realized that Harry had left and Draco was sitting on the couch with his back to her. He looked as if he was reading something. "Come here, there is something else you should see." He said without turning to look at her.

She padded across the room, turning around the corner to sit down next to him. On the coffee table, there sat a report and the book that was missing from her office. "Harry also gave this to me a week ago. He wanted me to see if there was a connection between the threat and this sighting." He explained.

"Was there one?"

"None that I could find so far; but of course, I had no clue what I was looking for. This is something you specialize in, not me. That why I kinda took the book."

"I see that..."

No matter how mad she wanted to get at him, it still wasn't as bad as the hurt she felt when it came to Harry hiding things from her. Janey's death was on her conscious and that wasn't going to go away either. "I just feel numb..." She admitted.

"I'd say that's pretty normal. You lost something you were close to."

"Thank you for letting me stay here tonight."

"I wasn't going to let you sleep on the street or your office. You know...that food is still in the fridge if your hungry."

She had forgotten all about the dinner he had made for them to share before all hell broke loose. A slight smile appeared on her lips as he stood up, holding his hand out to her. Hermione hesitantly placed her own into his, with him lifting her up to stand against him. The hard muscles of his chest were under her palms, begging to be explored. "You know, you look fucking sexy in my clothes." He whispered at her ear.

His warm breath caressed the sensitive flesh. The way he spoke the words as if they held all the meaning in the world. She stood frozen, watching him move around the kitchen to heat up the food from earlier. Draco noticed her rigid stance and chuckled softly to himself, realizing that he caught her by surprise with his comment. It wasn't a lie, he did find her extremely hard to resist while dressed in his clothes. Something about it drove his cock to harden just looking at her. "Why don't you sit down." He said pulling a chair out from the small round table centered in the middle of the kitchen.

Hermione took the offer and tried her damnest not to look at him. He was dressed in bed clothes that consisted of a white t-shirt that was practically see-through and black sleep pants that hung low to his hips. She had seen him dressed this way once before, remembering how her body reacted to it then. Now that she has experienced his skillful lips, the reaction was most definitely more intense.

Slouching forward, she rested her head over her crossed arms. Suddenly her eyes felt heavy once again, trying so hard to fight against sleep. Draco turned from the oven to see Hermione laying across the table. Letting out a sigh, he knew that she was asleep again. "You will be the death of me." He commented softly closing the distance between them.

Bending down, he slid an arm under legs and one around her shoulders. Lifting up, he held onto her bridal style in his arms. She snuggled against his chest unconsciously, which made his heart race with the smallest gesture. He carried her to his bed room and laid her down gently, allowing her head to snuggle into the pillow. Pulling the blankets up, he bent back down to place his lips against her temple. "I will protect you..." He whispered before turning away from the bed.

"Thank...you...Draco..." She answered just as softly.

"Goodnight..."

There was no answer. Leaving the room, he returned to the kitchen where the food he had made was in the oven heating. Once again, he turned the heat off and re-covered the dish in foil before putting it back in the fridge. Making sure the door was locked, he shut the lights off then made his way to the couch. Collapsing upon it, he lay back staring at the ceiling replaying the nights events in his head over and over again.

He just had to protect Hermione from whoever was out to get her. There had to be a way to find out who before anything bad happened to her. It wasn't just Harry's threat that bothered him. He would never forgive himself if he allowed her to get hurt. In the short amount of time they spent together, his attraction to her has grown. More than he ever thought it could grow. It scared him just as much as it scared him to loose her to the enemy. That was all the motivation he needed to keep her safe. It wasn't too much longer and sleep finally took over, allowing his mind to finally be at ease. At least for the time being.


	9. Chapter 9

**Author Note: I appreciate all the wonderful comments I've been getting with this. Thanks to a little nudge from a friend I went outside of my comfort zone and created this. Hopefully this new chapter is to everyone's liking. Let me know what you think.**

 **A Special thanks goes to: Guest, LightofEvolution, Girl from beyond, pgoodrichboggs, Kathrynrose42, Legolas' Girl 31, HarryPGinnyW4eva and Hanable-13 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: lhbmac, sonnetStar, dramoinegingerlove, Girl from beyond, SerenityPax, MeBHop, ysl3as, Musicangel913, Burdge, Deidre1916 and Hanable-13 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 9:

 **December 7** **th** **, The Ministry of Magic**

Harry sat behind his desk going through every single report when it came to the fire at Hermione's apartment and everything related to Janey Nissel. He was determined to find something that would lead him to the person who did all those horrible crimes. The argument he had with Hermione the prior night was also heavy on his mind. The hurt in her eyes dug right through him. The fact that Draco seemed to be the one to settle her emotions was like a kick to the groin and he was starting to regret asking him to help with the situation.

"Mr. Potter, a letter came for you." A sweet voice came from behind his closed door.

"Bring it in, Elena." He answered.

The door opened to reveal a young lady, who was probably just there a week as a project from whatever school of wizardry she was attending. She had freckles across her cheeks that was slightly covered by her glasses. Her auburn colored hair was pulled up neatly behind her head in a bun. "It was stamped in red so I thought you'd want it as soon as possible." She said crossing the room to hand him the white envelope.

"Thank you."

"I also wanted to say thanks for the opportunity to see this place. Today is my last day of my school project."

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, Elena. Hopefully someday down the road you will join us permanently."

"Most definitely."

She smiled and left the room. Harry sat alone with the white envelope in his hand. Breaking the seal, he pulled the parchment out to read the contents. His eyes widened as several photos fell onto the dark wood of his desk. The familiar face of Hermione plastered all over the images sent his anger to overload. His eyes read the words carefully, memorizing them.

"Janey will not be the last.

I will make her life a living hell.

I want her to want to die before I come for her swiftly and profound.

There will be no saving her from me.

By all means, keep trying.

It is amusing to see first hand."

Harry knew now that it had to be a death eater. No one else could be as sick as this. If he didn't know that Bellatrix was dead, he would say it was her doing this; but Molly Weasley had killed her in the war. There was no one else he could think of that would harbor such hate for Hermione. Closing his eyes, he leaned back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. He had to figure this out soon or he would loose another person dear to his heart.

 **XxXxXxXx**

 **December 7** **th** **, Draco's Flat**

Draco sat at the counter with a cup of coffee reading the new newspaper that had come. Hermione still hadn't woken up or if she was, she hadn't emerged from his bedroom yet. Everything that happened the day before had been overwhelming for her and he knew it. The argument between her and Harry tore her apart, that much was obvious. The death of Janey had hit her even harder. He knew what it felt like to put the blame on himself for horrible things to happen to someone else and that was exactly what she was doing.

Sliding out from the counter, he stood up just in time to hear the click of the door opening from the hallway. He stood waiting for her to walk around the corner. When she did, her unbrushed hair was pulled up into a ponytail and was still dressed in the clothes he had given her to change into. The urge to encase her in his arms was nagging at him to move forward to do just that.

"Hey..." He said softly.

"Hi...aren't you going in today?" She asked awkwardly.

"No...I think you need my attention today."

"Draco...it's not really necessary. I'm okay..."

He took several steps closer, closing the gap between them. The white part of her eyes was mixed with red, making him understand that she had just got done crying. She leaned against the wall, trying to keep a little space between them. "I don't think you're okay, Hermione. I can tell that you were crying. You lost everything all in one night."

"I know...I...just don't know...where to begin mending things."

"You can start by allowing me to take you to get some clothes. I doubt you want to keep wearing mine...not that I would mind."

A smile curved his lips as a chuckle left his throat. Hermione shifted her eyes from the floor to meet his comforting face. She honestly didn't know what to say to his offer. It wasn't that she didn't have money, it was the fact that all her cards and cash had burned up in the fire. She could take money out; but the problem was that it was Saturday and the banks were closed. She didn't have a choice but to allow him to do what he wanted to do. "Why are you being so nice?" She asked softly, placing her hands against the smooth wall behind her.

"I think you know why...and it has nothing to do with the fact Potter asked me to look out for you."

"Draco...I...I'm not good for you..."

"Like I'm perfect, Hermione...I've done a lot of shitty things in my life. You know this..."

He took another step closer, reaching with his hand to touch her face. With a sigh, her eyes instantly closed soaking in his comfort with every fiber of her being. The hand on her face moved down to the side of her neck and then to her shoulder. "If you get too close to me...you'll end up dead just like Janey did..."

"I'm a lot harder to kill. I'm a survivor, always have been."

Hermione tried to smile; but it came out pretty weak. Draco pulled her into his arms with the side of her face resting against his chest. She curled her lip inward, trying so hard not to cry once again. After what Harry told her about the death threat, she knew that she shouldn't get any closer to Draco or he would end being a target next. She didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of her. She just wished that she knew who it was that wanted her dead. "Then I will go get some clothes; but it isn't necessary for you to come with me." She said pulling out of his arms.

"Fair enough, I'll give you some money and I'll head into The Ministry for a few minutes to see how things are progressing there."

"Okay..."

XxXxXxXx

Draco walked into The Ministry while he waited for Hermione to get done buying some clothes to replace the ones she lost in the fire. He pushed the large doors open and took the first turn down the narrow hallway that lead to Harry's office. Before stepping forward, he felt like there were eyes staring at him from behind. Turning his head, he caught the gaze of a man a little older than himself with bright blue eyes and dark hair. He knew him as Stewart Lyons. He had transferred from the New York Ministry a year ago and ever since then he's had a strange feeling about him.

"Is there something you wanted, Lyons?" Draco asked sharply, not really in the mood to deal with anything at all at this point.

"Nothing, sir." He answered through clenched teeth.

Ignoring the way he had been spoken to, he stepped over the threshold and made a b-line for Harry's office door. His closed fist connected with the door and Harry's voice answered. Stepping inside, his boss looked up from the scattered mess on his desk. Draco stopped and closed the door behind him, not bothering to close any of the distance between them. Instead, he crossed his arms over his chest. "A month or two, Potter. Really? You knew for that long and never said a word to anyone until a few days ago."

"You would have done the same thing if the roles were reversed."

"I wouldn't have, that's the difference between you and me. She deserved to know that her life was in danger. We might have been able to prevent Janey's death."

"I doubt we would have been able to prevent anything. This person is really smart and meticulous. There isn't any shred of evidence to link anyone to the crimes."

Draco knew that Harry was right. He had gone over everything in his mind and nothing stood out to him as odd. Even so, he wasn't about to let Hermione down. He would protect her as he was asked to do so. "How is she?" Harry asked looking away for a moment, swallowing his pride to see the letter that had arrived earlier that morning.

"She's withdrawn...as can be expected. She doesn't want to get close anyone for fear they would be the next target."

"That's probably a good thing. I received another letter this morning."

After those words left Harry's mouth, Draco closed the distance between them and immediately snatched the paper in his hand. He wasn't about to let his boss hide more information from him that would hinder his ability to protect the one person that had shown him any kind of kindness. Reading the writing, he tensed instantly. He couldn't believe how sick this person was. It was almost like a death eater was talking or Voldemort himself, which was impossible.

"At first, I thought it would be your aunt; but she's dead."

"It does sound like her...I'll look into it further to make sure she really is dead."

Draco returned the letter back to Harry and turned to leave the room. Harry sank back down into his chair, pulling the pictures out while doing so. He couldn't tell anyone about those, it would hurt more people if he did.

Draco turned to leave the 2nd floor when he heard his name being called. He turned to see Kingsley himself approaching. It was odd for the Minister to approach someone of his status within The Ministry. He lowered his head out of respect and the straightened up quickly. "I heard about what happened last night with Hermione Granger. Tragic to say the least, which is why I trust you will give this to her."

"Sir?"

"I know she's staying with you for the time being. It's okay, nothing wrong with helping a fellow witch in her time of need. I'm quite fond of her, as I know you are as well. So...I know this will make it to her."

"Of course."

Kingsley handed Draco the envelope in his hand. Nodding his head once more, he fled the building and stepped out onto the crowded sidewalk. Hermione should be more than finished with her shopping and would be waiting for him at the small cafe' near where her apartment building used to be. Sitting in the back of the taxi, he began to wonder when his attraction to Hermione became noticeable to everyone else around him.

He remembered when his attraction to her started. The first day she had shown him kindness.

 _Weaving through dozens of people just to get to the elevator that would take him to the 2_ _nd_ _floor was not high on Draco's list that morning. Only his third month as an Auror and he was already irritated by the increased amount of traffic in the hallways. Everyone stared at him, remembering him from the war. In which, he sat at the table of death eaters under the rule of Voldemort. The scar left behind by the mark on his forearm still stung certain days._

 _He knew that it wasn't a smart decision to join The Ministry; but he wanted to be separated from his family and lead a different path in life. Once he made it to the elevator, the door was sliding closed until a hand stopped it._

 _Meeting her chestnut eyes again only brought back all the horrible memories of the name calling and her screams on the foyer floor at the manor. She smiled at him warmly. "Good morning, Draco." She greeted as he stepped inside._

 _He silently pushed the number two button and remained still with his back to her, hiding the smile forming on his lips. The ride seemed to be taking longer than usual and the whispers behind him were getting louder. All he could hear were the words 'death eater' and 'spy', all other words were invalid to him. "Oh for the love of Merlin, can all of you just forget the past already. He's already been proven innocent and wants to start over in life. I think all of you should just give him a chance to prove that he isn't a bad guy." Hermione snapped just as the elevator opened to the second floor._

 _He stepped out into the second floor, not bothering to look back at her. Her act of kindness was unexpected to say the least and knew that he would never forget it._

Draco opened his eyes as the vehicle stopped at his destination. He had never thanked her for sticking up for him that day. Paying the driver, he exited the car and found Hermione standing outside with a large bag in hand. She was dressed in clothes that weren't his and he found himself admiring her assets a little more than he should given the circumstances of today's informative trip to work. "Did you find everything you needed?" He asked.

"I only got what I needed to get by. No need to go overboard when I have no place to put the stuff yet." She replied taking steps beside him.

"Maybe tomorrow we can look into a new place for you, I highly doubt you want stay with me too much longer."

Climbing the stairs that would lead them to his flat, she ran through everything that was said this morning in his kitchen over again in her head. She didn't want to get close to him for obvious reasons; but the more she tried not to, the more she wanted to. He'd already done so much for her and there was no way she could ever repay that kind of kindness.

He unlocked the door and allowed her entry first before closing the door behind them. Shrugging out of his coat, he hung it up beside the door and waited for her to take hers off. She turned and handed him the item with a smile. "Thank you."

She watched him put an envelope on the counter just as he was closing the small distance between them. "Come with me." He stated taking a hold of her hand gently. Hermione followed him down the hall to the closed door across the hall from his bedroom. Her opened the door and pushed it across the floor. It revealed a second bedroom. Plain, undecorated, only a single bed against the wall; but perfect for her short stay there.

"You can stay here for as long as you need to, Hermione. No rush for you to leave."

"Thank you...for everything you've done, Draco..."

"No...thank you."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"For showing me kindness that day two years ago."

Hermione knew exactly what day he spoke of. Letting go of the handles on the bag, it dropped to the floor with a thud. She reached up to touch his face with just the tips of her fingers. He sucked in a surprised breath of air. "There was no reason not to show you any kindness. You've been tormented enough over the past and you deserved to be able to start over." She answered softly.

He wanted to kiss her, so much so that it was painful to think about. Reaching up to take hold of the hand that was currently touching his face, he pulled it down so it was between them. "That envelope is from Kingsley for you." He said letting go of her hand.

"That can wait...there is something I need to do first."

"What's that?"

She leaned up, resting her hands on his chest. Wetting her lips a little, he took it upon himself to finish what she seemed to be heading towards. His lips captured hers with a desperation to be even closer to her. He sucked her bottom lip in, then licked it before plunging his tongue into his mouth to explore.

A soft moan escaped her throat, curling her fingers around the material of his shirt. He pressed into her, sending her back against the wall into a position she was familiar with. "Draco..." She whispered against his lips.

"I know..." He answered breaking their connection, knowing it wasn't the right time for anything more than that what had just transpired between them.

"You know...I could really go for something to eat."

"Go set up that room how you want and I'll heat up that food in the fridge."

He kissed her lips one last time just as she slipped inside the room with the bag of clothes in hand. Making his way back out to the kitchen, he reached into the refrigerator for the pan of food just waiting to be eaten. Shifting across the room, he turned the oven on to the proper temperature. Draco licked his lips, slightly tasting her unique lip gloss. The woman really was going to be the death of him, because he found himself liking every second she was around.

 **End Note: I was considering changing the name of the story in honor of the song that's inspired this little piece of writing. What do you think?**


	10. Chapter 10

**Author Note: Well over a hundred followers! That's awesome! I'm so excited to see that kind of activity for this story, considering I didn't think it was going to do anything at all. Thank you so much! Onto the next chapter, let me know what you think. It's a little more fluffy this time around.**

 **A special thanks goes to: HarryPGinnyW4eva, booklover19a, zoesheppard, LightofEvolution, Legolas' Girl 31 and pgoodrichboggs for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: rebekahsdaniel1, booklover19a, GBFSAAF02, zarayalove, lola19760, mellarky, monicasa1991, kopyska, fictionlover4, ElleGS, jennykittogreen, soareedustwdgirl29, fuzzy6, WhiteFrostRose, irishgirl5307, cardosonatercia6 and katief84 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 10:

Hermione moved across the kitchen to take hold of the envelope Draco had brought with him. Kingsley had given it to him in assurance that it would reach her. Her fingers brushed across the rough material before turning it over to break the seal and pull out the contents. In the process, the smell of food caused her stomach to grumble loudly. "You really must be hungry." Draco commented with a hint of laughter to his voice.

"I am, plus that smells really good." She replied turning the glossy paper around.

Her eyes widened and her breath escaped her lungs. A photo of her parents was in her hands. A photo she thought burned in the fire with everything else she owned. A small piece of paper was attached by a paperclip. The handwriting was that of Kingsley himself. "Hermione...something wrong?" Draco asked noticing her blank stare.

"They recovered this from the fire and I restored it to its original state. I hope this brings you a little peace of mind.

Kingsley." She read aloud and then turned the photo over to show her curious friend from across the kitchen.

He was relieved that it wasn't any bad news concerning her safety, there was enough problems with that as of late. Harry not telling her from the start caused a rift and he was caught in the middle. He also had to find a way to figure out if his Aunt Bellatrix was indeed dead to rule her out as a suspect. "Isn't that a good thing?" Draco asked.

"Of course, I thought this was lost to me."

She held it close to her chest for a moment before walking it back to the room she now was staying in. It felt weird to be staying there, considering there was an obvious attraction between them. Walking back out of the room with nothing in her hands, she noticed Draco bent over to get the pan out of the oven. His backside right for her viewing and noted that it was indeed a great view. "What did you make?" She asked out of curiosity.

"You would be proud, considering it's made more for muggles than anything else. It's lasagna."

"I'm impressed. Never thought you'd do anything muggle related."

He raised an eyebrow at her while closing the oven door, not really wanting to believe what just came out of her mouth. She was a muggle born witch and the fact that she never though he'd do anything muggle related was contradicting everything he'd already done for her. He watched her curl her bottom lip inward, as she always did when nervous or uncomfortable.

Draco took it upon himself to close the distance between them, taking her hands into his. "If I didn't do anything muggle related, then explain my attraction to you." He asked leaning in a little closer than before.

"For once, I don't have an answer. The logic is all wrong."

"Is it?"

She found herself up against the edge of the counter, her lower back pressed into the rough surface. The desire swirled in his beautiful blue-gray eyes, tightening her center. Hermione knew that their budding relationship would never be accepted by his family. To her, it may not even matter if whoever wanted her dead succeeded in doing just that.

 **December 9** **th** **, Ministry of Magic**

Draco walked down the hall after completing his first day back since taking Hermione in. There was talk of the Christmas party that would be taking place the following week. It was always a festive event The Ministry held every year. Of course, he never attended. He never had a desire to, until now. He thought about taking Hermione for two reasons. One, to keep an eye on her and two, to be the one at her side while she flaunted how beautiful she really was.

"Mister Malfoy, a word please." Kingsley stated as he passed his oversized office.

"Of course, sir."

He stepped into the large room, watching the Minister get seated back into his chair. It's been two days since Hermione saw the photo they recovered from the fire. During that time, the entire Ministry has been made aware of the death threat concerning Hermione. There were people diving deeper into research, trying to determine where the letters are coming from. "How is she doing?" Kingsley asked lifting his head up from the desk.

"She's bored and has probably clean my apartment twelve times in the last two days."

"I figured as much. There might be something we can do about that."

"What do you mean? She can't come back here, it isn't safe. I don't trust anyone, especially if there is someone on the inside against us."

Kingsley's eyes searched Draco's. There was so much passion behind them, more than he ever had seen before. He understood there were genuine feelings there, at least on his end. "I understand your concern, Draco. I wasn't asking for her to come here."

"Then what are you asking for?"

"Rubeus Hagrid sent a letter yesterday. It states that he needs someone to fill in for him for the next couple of months while he takes care of some personal requirements."

"You want Hermione to do this?"

Draco thought about what Hagrid was asking. Hogwarts would be a fortress and would no doubt be able to keep her safe. The problem would be letting her go. He had grown quite fond of her company over the last few days and didn't really want her to leave. The thought of her being protected and being able to teach students like they once were made him rethink his selfishness. "It would be quite beneficial. Not just for her; but for you as well. You can't spend every waking moment watching over her."

"When does he need an answer by?"

"Monday."

"I'll pass the message onto her. I won't force her if she doesn't want to."

He nodded. Draco turned heel and left the office. His mind was cluttered with all the new information and had absolutely no clue how to bring it up to Hermione. He didn't know how she would react to it either.

The entire trip back home, he thought about all the ways he could bring it up to her. It also reminded him that he needed to see his mother soon about the death of his aunt, also knowing that it would bring up more questions as to why he wanted to know such things.

XxXxXxXx

Hermione finished cleaning the living room and stopped to stare out the large window that overlooked the city. The view was no doubt breathtaking and envied Draco a little, because he could see it every single day. Turning her head, she could see the report he had shown her a few days ago about the Chimaera sighting. Deciding to take a closer look at it, she sat down on the edge of the cushion and began to read.

The witness stated that she heard painful ear piercing cries and the wingspan of said creature was larger than anything she had ever seen before along with a noticeable serpent tail. The key point to the report was that that witness said she saw a cloaked figure riding the beast, which is completely unheard of considering they were a level five on the dangerous creature scale.

Hearing the unlocking of the front door, she immediately closed the report and stood up from the sofa just as Draco walked into the kitchen. He hung his coat up and sat his case down on the floor beside the door. The look on his face alerted her instantly to something wrong. She wondered if there was a new development in locating the person that wanted her dead. "You look frazzled. Did something happen today?" She asked stepping into the kitchen to greet him.

"Something like that..."

She was stunned to see him just walk passed her without so much as a touch to her cheek. He collapsed onto the sofa with his head back against he oversized plush top. Hermione followed after and sat down right beside him. The curiosity was eating away at her; but didn't want to push the issue either to upset him further. "Was there news with the death threat?" She asked softly.

"No...I...just...I don't know..."

He ran a hand over the top of his head and then turned to look at her. She sat there with her leg crossed under the other with an attentive look upon her face. How could ever say no to that face? His attachment to her was unhealthy and would only tear him to pieces later on down the road. The fact that he cared this much for her already was a problem, no just for him; but for his family. They would never accept that he liked a muggle-born witch. It went against everything they ever taught him growing up.

It didn't matter, he wanted her and now he had to tell her about the job and risk loosing her completely. "Draco...please tell me what's going on..." She pleaded, placing a hand over his. Her touch was driving him crazy, clouding his judgment.

"Spoke to Kingsley right before I left. He got a letter from Hagrid asking for someone from your department to fill in for him for the next couple of months."

"What does that have to do with...oh...I see...he wants me to do it, doesn't he?"

He didn't know why he was surprised that she caught on as quickly as she did; but somehow she managed to surprise him. Hermione didn't need a confirmation from Draco to know that was what Kingsley wanted. She could see that the man in front of her was not happy with the suggestion. The look of loneliness returned to his eyes. It was a familiar look that she had seen several times over the years.

She shifted her body upright, placed her hands on the sides of his face to get him to look at her. "How long do I have to decide?" Hermione asked sliding a little closer to him. His hands unconsciously moved to her hips, rubbing the exposed skin back and forth. "Until Monday. Hermione, going there will keep you safer than I ever could by myself. You know this."

"Maybe...maybe not. I'm not going to think about it right now."

"Hermione...don't be stubborn..."

Ignoring his statement, she leaned into him further. Her skirt sliding up her leg a little more. He could see more of her creamy flesh. Her lips brushed against his once, sampling a single taste and then captured them fully. She didn't want to think about leaving at that moment. Her heart was living in the moment presented to her currently and was desperate to keep it alive for as long as possible.

In the last two weeks, Draco had become something to her and was quickly proving her theory of never being able to care about another man again wrong. His tongue probed her mouth, then nipped at her bottom lip. A hand curled around the side of her neck while the other slid up her leg, under skirt. A pleasant moan escaped her throat as his lips left her to leave warm open mouth kisses along the shallow of her neck.

The warmth between her legs was building and not just because his hand was ever so close to touching her most sacred of places on her body. Her breathing hitched the second his fingers brushed across her clit through her panties. He leaned her back and crawled between her legs to recapture her lips. Her hips lifted up a little, rubbing against the bulge in his pants.

Her heart was pounded against the inside of her chest and every kiss he placed on her body sent liquid heat straight to her core. He slid his hand up her leg once again, pushing the apendenge down while doing so. Moving her panties to the side, his finger came in contact with his clit. Another soft moan left her lips while she pushed herself closer to his touch.

Draco hesitated only for a moment before slipping a finger into her slick folds. He noticed immediately how wet she had becoming during their heated session of kissing. He also noticed how her walls seemed to clamp around his finger. A smile curved his lips, while his thumb ran circles around her sensitive nub.

A pounding on the door, startled her. He silenced her with a kiss, doing his best to ignore the interruption. He wanted her in the worst way. The pounding became more insistent. "Maybe you should get that." Hermione stated.

"DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY, I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!" Pansy's voice shrilled through the wood of the door.

"Are you fucking kidding me..." Draco grumbled sitting up from the couch to let Hermione escape to the room she occupied.

He wasn't in the mood to deal with his ex-girlfriend, especially when he was in the middle of pleasing another woman entirely. He could only imagine how Hermione was feeling now after hearing Pansy's voice. Swinging the door open, he could see her standing there in her expensive fur coat. "What the hell do you want?" He asked crossing his arms over his chest.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author Note: I apologize for the delay in update. I've been dealing with a lot of personal problems. Hopefully you all will enjoy this chapter. Let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Legolas' Girl 31, zoesheppard, LightofEvolution, pgoodrichboggs, Kathrynrose42, Chester99, I'amour perdu and HarryPGinnyW4eva for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Soon17, BratGirl1983, Chester99, , cblovely618, tsukinohikari-hime, CGinny, perfectmess, AmyKay19, singingprilly, l'amour perdu, LoganRiley, JLLove, stephrob92 and Bookwormwd40 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 11:

"Is that any way to greet me?" Pansy asked with a cross of her arms.

"You shouldn't be here at all." Draco muttered just as she passed him to walk into his flat uninvited.

He noticed that she was eying every single inch of the place. She was looking for something that much was obvious. He hoped that Hermione wouldn't be angry with him after it was all said and done. There was so much going on in his mind and didn't really have the patience to deal with his ex at the moment. "So where is she? I know she's here...that little mudblood..." Pansy stated turning around to face her former lover in the eye.

"Don't call her that. She is one of the reasons your not enslaved by the dark lord, Pansy. You should be grateful."

"Grateful? For what? It was Potter who kill the dark lord, not the muggle bitch."

"Jealousy is ugly on you."

Her eyes narrowed almost instantly. She didn't like how he was defending someone he once bullied in school, nor did she like the fact that she knew that he had a thing for said woman. It was the talk of the underground as of late. 'Draco Malfoy takes in war hero after devastating fire in her apartment building'. That was the headline in all the tabloids. Her question was why? "So where is she?" She asked again.

"Not here."

"Why don't I believe you."

"What do you want from me, Pansy?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

Of course he knew. She wanted him. She made that very clear the last time she came there. The same night he had kissed Hermione for the first time. "I told you already...I'm not interested in you anymore. Those feelings are gone. Now, would you please do me a favor and leave." He said sternly, not hesitating a single second.

"Do you think your parents don't know about what you're doing?"

"I don't really care what they think they know about what's going on. I stopped caring what they thought after the war."

"You'll regret you're decision eventually."

"Doubtful...now get out."

Pansy sharply turned her head away and walked out of the apartment with a huff in breath. Draco closed the door behind her and let out an annoyed sigh before locking it. The sound of a door opening alerted him to Hermione's presence. He looked up to see her standing in the junction between the kitchen and the living room.

By the look on her face, he could tell that she had heard every single word said between them. There was a glazed over look in her eyes and told him that she had been crying again. "I'm sorry that I cause so many problems for you." She said softly holding herself with her arms.

"Don't...you did nothing wrong."

Draco crossed the room and unwraped her arms from around herself and pulled her into his. His chin rested on the top of her head gently. She was stiff in his embrace, nothing like their moments together on the couch right before the interruption by Pansy. "She's right, you know. There is no way your parents don't know that I'm staying here. The death threat is public knowledge to the magical world now."

He pulled her out of his arms and held into her shoulders firmly. He looked her dead in the eyes. "I don't really care what they know. My father has made more headlines for his behavior than anyone I know. My mother isn't the same as she was when it comes to her views. It shouldn't matter." He said with such assurance.

Hermione turned her head. She didn't want him to see the turmoil conflicting in her eyes. She was thankful that he had been willing to let her stay with him while the whole death threat thing was being investigated. Now there was an offer to teach a class while Hagrid was taking care of some personal things. She didn't know what to do or where would be the safest place to be. She didn't want to die. There were so many things she wanted to do with her life.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" He asked softer than his prior statement.

"No...you actually know how to make me feel better about things..."

"Isn't that a good thing? Why are you pushing away?"

She couldn't help but think about Janey and what she went through. The fact that someone wanted her head and killed an innocent woman because she was close to her really didn't make her feel good about getting close to someone else, no matter how they made her feel. "I think I need to go for a walk to clear my head." Hermione stated taking several steps back away from Draco.

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I won't be gone long. I'll be fine."

He couldn't suffocate her by telling her no. He also had no idea what she was feeling, because there was a lot going on that she probably took a lot of blame for. She stepped passed him to walk towards the door. Slipping into her coat, Hermione pulled up the zippers on her knee high boots and made her escape towards the outside.

Draco let out a sigh while running a hand over the top of his head. He couldn't but feel a nagging uncertainty when it came to her safety. The words of Harry Potter echoed inside his mind as well. He couldn't decide if he should follow her or just leave her be for the moment. It didn't take long for the decision to be made for him. At least for the time being.

A dark colored owl came to the large window and pecked at the glass. Moving across the living room, he opened the window and caught the chilled wind against his face as he reached for the letter attached to the bird's talon. Without even looking at the parchment, he knew who had written him. His parents haven't gotten with the times and invested in a phone.

The words came as no surprise. His mother knew of Hermione staying with him and asked why he never wrote to her telling her why. She was concerned about him being drawn into the issue of her death threat. The part that surprised him the most was the fact his mother offered for them to stay with her until the person was caught.

The owl waited patiently as he sat down to write his mother back. It was obvious his mother knew his intentions better than he knew them himself. Maybe she had seen something in him from the past or maybe he just heard things from the underground like Pansy had. It didn't matter either way. Hermione was important to him in more ways than one.

" _ **Mother,**_

 _ **I appreciate the offer and will mention it to her. The Ministry to exploring almost every resource in attempts to figure out who wants her dead. So far, we've come up with nothing. A friend of hers was killed in the apartment fire. She devastated and I honestly don't know how to help her.**_

 _ **Draco."**_

He attached the letter to the foot of the owl and the dark bird took off almost instantly. Hermione was on his mind and began to pace along the living room floor until he finally sat down on the sofa. His legs twitched and became restless. Groaning out loud, he stood up and stormed to the front door grabbing his coat from the hook by the door.

Using his wand to shut the lights off, he stepped out of his apartment and proceeded to follow Hermione. The uneasy feeling in his gut just wouldn't go away.

 **XxXxXxXx**

Hermione turned down the alley that would lead her to Janey's apartment. It wouldn't be the first time she broke into a place to look for something and it probably wouldn't be the last. She wanted answers and had a feeling that looking inside Janey's things would hold some of those answers. Standing in front of the door, she dug out her wand and touched it briefly on the knob while whispering the words to get it to unlock from the inside.

Hearing the click, she opening the door and caught the scent of apple cinnamon from the candle by the door. "Lumos." She whispered, bringing light to the tip of her wand. The glow was just enough to get her to see her surroundings.

Eying a desk with folders scattered upon it, she made a point to check it first. Sifting through the papers for anything of relevance and when she got to the end, she found a folded up piece of parchment tucked inside a book. Opening it up, the words dumbfounded her. Quickly folding it back up, she stuck it in the inside pocket of her coat to read it better once she got back to Draco's flat.

She turned away to see the hallway. Janey's bedroom was at the end of it. Stepping inside it, she sucked in a gasp of air. Pictures of her were littered across the wall, with small captions at the bottom. It made her wonder why the Ministry hadn't searched her apartment yet. Reading the captions, she realized that they weren't there to harm her; but help her. She was watching over her. Towards the bottom of the mirror, a photo of Draco was also taken. "Were you watching him to?" She asked out loud.

Sitting her wand down, she reached for every single photo hanging up. Grouping them together, she tucked them inside her coat pocket for later viewing when she could actually see better. Turning to walk back out of the room, her eyes locked with a frame picture of Janey with a two people who were more than likely her parents.

Tears stung her eyes as she forced herself to walk away. Outside of the apartment, she let of the breath of air she had been holding in. "Did you find what you were looking for?" Draco's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I found enough..."

"Come on..."

He didn't ask her what she found, because he could tell that she was fragile as it stood. She began to walk next to him silently. Her eyes kept forward, refusing to meet his gaze. She wanted to know how he had found her; but thought better of it. On some level, she was happy that he had gone after her. It proved that he did care about what happened to her.

Once they made it back to his apartment, she took everything she had found and laid it on the counter for him to see. His eyes widened a little at first and then scrunched down to examine everything better. "She obviously knew of your death threat without being told about it, because I was the only person Harry told at the time of her death."

"I think she knew who it is." Hermione said leaning forward against the counter.

"Why do you say that?"

Digging into the pocket on the inside of her coat, she pulled out of the folded letter. "This is why." She said handing the small item to Draco as she hung her coat back up on the hook. He glanced down the at the letter and then quickly looked back up at her with an uneasy expression cast over his eyes.

" _ **This is your last warning.**_

 _ **You were told to finish the job and you've yet to bring me any relevant information that will help me get my revenge. I've paid you decent money and you've come up with nothing. Bring me something of use or the consequences will be severe."**_

The was no name at the bottom; but there didn't need to be one. Janey knew the person and since she didn't do what she was asked to do, she paid the price with her life. Draco quickly walked around to the other side of the counter and took Hermione's hands into his own, brushing his thumb along the delicate skin of her knuckles. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He said softly and then pulled her into his arms.

"I don't want to die. There are so many things I want to do. I want to help people in magic and make the world a better place. I want to make peace with my friends and I... want to understand my own emotions when it comes to you..."

Draco allowed her to pull out of his arms, only for her to stare up into his eyes with such longing. Her emotions were all over the place, which was something he could definitely understand. "You'll be able to do all that, I promise." He said, trying not to sound so thrilled about her wanting to understand her emotions towards him.

"Thank you...for everything..."

"You're welcome."

She leaned up to kiss his cheek before walking back to the room he offered to her. He stood alone, wondering what to do with all the new information she found illegally. Gathering it all up, he shoved it into the top drawer under the counter. Placing a spell on the drawer to lock it from outsiders, he moved to turn lights off in the kitchen and then finally retreat to his own bedroom for the night. He had plenty to do in the morning, including mentioning to Hermione about the offer his mother had given them.


	12. Chapter 12

**Author Note: Thank you for all the concerns and comments you've given me, it means a lot. Everything is okay now. Hopefully I'll be able to get these chapters out a little more quicker than before. Onto number twelve, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: l'amour perdu, Legolas' Girl 31, zoesheppard, pgoodrichboggs, LightofEvolution, Chester99, HarryPGinnyW4eva, Kathrynrose42 and Hanable-13 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: foreverreading29, Scobydoo, Snowflake Dazzle, djacobs, lumpy82, Jbskit3214, klaus89, clo06ud, hhandzus2116, pmulbry, greeningha, See-The-Stars-Above, Duke664 and lovingthelifeofantasy for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 12:

 **December 10** **th**

Hermione awoke fairly early and sat up in the bed she now called her own, at least for the time being. She knew that Draco was just down the hall in his own room, which gave her a little sense of security knowing that he wasn't that far away if she needed anything. The problem now was that her mind just wouldn't rest. It was going in a million different directions, most of which were about Janey and the death threat; but others were on Draco himself.

Her feelings for him were growing and couldn't understand where things changed between them. Though, it didn't matter when it happened. She just knew that it had and her heart was racing at the mere thought of his lips on hers or his hand brushing against the skin of her hip. The way he looked at her was full of sincerity, no hidden motives.

She rolled to her side and then stood up out of bed. Her bare feet hit the cold wooden floor, sending a chill up her back. Grabbing the soft robe draped over the arm of the only piece of furniture in the room other than the bed itself, she slid her arms through the silky material. Quietly, she made her way out into the living room where the sun was just rising over the building of the city.

Snow had fallen sometime in the night, causing the white to reflect the light from the sun intensifying the brightness. She turned to look at the Christmas tree in the far corner of the room. The decorations she had given him were neatly hung on the branches and a real smile finally tugged at her lips for the first time since Janey's death.

"You're up early." Draco said startling her from the thoughts inside her mind.

"Couldn't seem to sleep any longer." She replied turning around to look at him.

His pants hung low to his hips while he remained shirtless, exposing his surprisingly well toned chest and abdomen. She never realized just how good of a shape he was in. It made her question if Quidditch was really that physically demanding. She also knew that he no longer played for a reason no one knew about, though she was sure that he had been asked a million times over to continue.

Her fingers itched with the need to touch his bare skin. His low chuckle allowed her to refocus on reality and not her inner desires. Draco took the opportunity to close the gap between them and stand next to her. "You seem a little...lost in thought. What are you thinking about?" He asked obviously knowing that his appearance was making her nervous.

Closing her eyes for a second, she shifted around to look back out the window. He blinking a couple times, realizing that there really was something going on in her head. Pushing the desire down, he reached out for her hand. "What do you think happened to her?" She asked after a few moments of silence between them.

"Janey?"

"Yeah..."

"Judging from all the stuff you took from her apartment...I'd say she knew the person who wants you dead and was probably a part of it at first, until..."

He stopped himself to really think about what he was going to say next. Hermione noticed the hesitation and pulled her hand out of his to turn back around. She saw his expression and was almost stunned by it. His eyes were closed, his lips no longer with a teasing smile. There was nothing but remembrance for him. "Draco..." She called, concern etched in her voice.

"I can relate to her...if that's how it all went down. If she was against you in the beginning and then grew to like as time passed...I can relate."

"Draco...you were taught to hate people like me. I don't fault you for that."

He let out a sigh as he stepped away from her. She watched him back away and retreat down the hall. Biting her bottom lip, she gave chase and followed him to his bedroom. He opened his closet door and pulled out one of his uniforms for the Ministry. She knew that he was going to leave for work soon enough and the tension from the prior conversation was eating at her.

She leaned against the frame of the open door, staring at his bare back. Several scars littered the pale skin. Assuming that they came from the war or at some point before it, she put the question at the back of mind. "I used to hate everything you stood for. The fact you were smarter than me just pissed me off more. Of course, my parents weren't happy with the knowledge that a muggle born witch was getting better scores than me and they were constantly yelling at me to do better."

Hermione listened to him express his feelings, which was entirely new for her. She never knew him to be open about anything. She also hadn't known what pressures his parents put on him. To her, it seemed ridiculous and unfair. "Instead of being the better person, I called you names and took great pleasure in the hurt it caused you. Until...I saw you laying on the foyer floor in my own home with my aunt taking pleasure in causing you pain..."

"Draco..."

"I hated you...and now when I look at you..."

"What? What do you see now?"

She was curious now. What was he going to tell her about what he saw now? What he expressed were things she already knew. She knew that he changed from day his aunt tortured her and the day she stuck up for him in the elevator at the Ministry. Draco finally turned around to look at her. Hermione took a couple steps in his direction. His hand cupped the side of her face, drawing her in closer. She couldn't help but enjoy the feeling of his touch on her flesh. There was so much comfort surrounding it.

"I see a woman who is my equal in every sense of the word."

Never in a million years did she think that he would say such words to her; but in that moment it didn't matter. He had said them and her heart was racing because of it. She rested her hand on his chest, feeling his warm skin under her fingertips. Unconsciously, she moved her hand up to touch the side of his face and brush his bottom lip with the pad of her thumb. "I need to go." He said softly stepping back away from her touch.

"Okay..."

She backed away, leaving his room to give him privacy to change. She entered her room and quickly put on some clothes. There were some things she needed to do today. She also had to decide whether or not to take the offer to teach at Hogwarts for a couple months. Stepping into the kitchen, Draco was slipping into his coat. Hermione tried to smile at him; but the fact was, she didn't want him to go at all. "I won't be long today." He said picking up his briefcase.

"I'll be fine."

"You better be."

He placed his lips on her forehead before walking out of the apartment. She frowned in disappointment. There was a distance about him ever since Pansy showed up the day before. She didn't think the woman had said anything that would have caused the reaction or maybe she was just reading too much into things.

She waiting a little bit longer before putting on her shoes. She knew that she had to give him enough time to get far enough away that he didn't see her leave. Once outside, the little flurries of snow were beginning to fall from the semi-clouded sky. It always amazed her quickly the weather could change considering it had been pretty sunny a little over an hour ago.

The streets were busy with traffic as she continued to walk down the sidewalk towards where police tape had cut off a large section of land. The place where she once called home. It was nothing but a dark mass of chard wood and busted out glass. The plants that once surrounded the building were now piles of ashy snow.

Putting her hands into the pockets of her coat, she just stared at the burned memories. She remembered moving in. Harry, Ginny, Ron and Lavender had all been there to help. It was right before the depression of having no family set in really hard. Harry and Ginny just had their first child. She could still remember the baby's cries as her friend cradled him, loving him like only a mother could. Ron and Lavender were still fresh into marriage, not really thinking of kids just yet. It was then that she truly felt alone.

"Miss Granger?" A familiar voice called to her, bringing the memories to an end.

"Aiden. I never thought I'd see you again." She said turning to see who owned the voice.

"Likewise. I'm glad your okay. This was an awful night for a lot of us."

"I know. I'm okay. Have you heard anything about what caused the fire?"

Aiden looked at her curiously. She studied his facial features for any signs of information withheld. There was hesitation clearly written there; but nothing more. "No, I haven't. I'd like some answers to. My girlfriend died in that fire." He answered.

"I'm sorry for your loss, Aiden. I lost someone to."

"Take care, Hermione."

"You too..."

Aiden walked away, leaving Hermione alone once again. She looked at the destruction one more time before continuing on. Crossing the street at the crosswalk, she made her way into the park to look at the oversized Christmas tree. Sitting down on the bench, she overlooked at everyone walking the pathways or ice skating on the frozen pond.

 **XxXxXx**

Draco made a point to visit Harry's office first thing. He wanted to tell him about the information Hermione had taken from Janey's apartment and then ask why it hadn't been collected by the Aurors in the first place. That just seemed odd to him that they wouldn't search her apartment if her death wasn't an accident.

"Mister Malfory, so good of you to come to work today." Stewart Lyons stated the moment he stepped into the Auror office.

Ignoring his comment, he walked passed him and headed straight for Harry's door. Not bothering to knock, he opened the door to see the man behind his desk signing a mountain of papers. His blue-green eyes looked up from the stack to see Draco standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. "Good morning, Draco. What can I do for you?" He greeted sitting his quill down on the desk.

"Why wasn't Janey's apartment searched when her death was ruled a murder?"

"How do you know it wasn't?"

"Hermione went there last night and searched it. She found papers linking her to the person that wrote the death threat. If it had been searched, you would have that information."

Harry raised an eyebrow at the man in front of him. Scooted the chair out a little so he could stand up, he stepped out around the desk to stand before him. Draco never moved from his position in front of the door. "What kind of information are we talking?" Harry asked leaning back against the edge of the wood of the desk.

"There is a letter from the person telling Janey there would consequences for not getting the job done. I'm assuming Janey had been a part of it and then turned against the cause. She died protecting Hermione."

"Where are these papers?"

"At my place. They aren't going to be able to be used for anything. Hermione found them illegally. She's not assigned to the case and I was off duty at the time, so I can't say I found them."

Harry narrowed his brows. The frustration was setting in. He wanted nothing more than to find who wanted his best friend dead and put them away for good. It was becoming harder and harder to do just that. Draco was the only person who was willing to help, it would seem to him. The Aurors in the office behind them were either new and had no clue what to do or just didn't care about the case. "I assigned it to Lyons. I'll bring him in later and ask him what happened with the investigation." Harry answered.

"You do that, because personally I want to punch him in the face right now. It's a good thing I'm leaving then."

"You care about her, don't you?"

Draco stopped dead in his tracks just as his hand went for the knob on the door. He never expected to be called out on his feelings for Hermione. How was he supposed to answer that question when Harry was her best friend and was like a brother to her? Thinking about her only brought the rapid beating of heart back. The way she looked at him this morning was more than enough to know that their feelings were mutual. "I do." He replied simply, hoping it would be enough for him to let the subject go.

"Then I hope to see you both tonight at the Christmas party."

"They changed the date?"

"Yes, with all the chaos they decided it would be best to do it now."

He nodded and then walked out of the room, closing the door behind him. Not bothering to make eye contact with anyone else, Draco left the building. Outside, the snow was starting to fall a little heavier. Walking down the steps, he stopped a moment to focus his sight. Hermione was standing outside one of the corner shops looking in the window.

A smile tugged at his lips despite knowing that she shouldn't be out alone. She was simply beautiful standing there with the snow falling on her hair. He finally decided to make his way towards her and see what she was looking at. "What are you doing?" He asked stepping to stand right next to her.

She didn't answer at first. He looked in the window and saw what she was looking at. The dress on the mannequin was a lavender color, made of the finest silk in London. The straps were thin and material dipped down low to show some cleavage. "Looking at stuff. I was bored and went for a walk to clear my head."

"Did it help?"

"A little bit...yes. Then I saw how beautiful this dress was and it distracted me from going back to the apartment."

"You like the dress?"

"Oh yes, it's gorgeous."

He took her hand and proceeded to pull her with him. She was confused as to what he was doing when he opened the door to the store. A middle-aged woman with long ash brown hair streaked with gray. Her eyes were bright blue and a smile that was wide and cheerful. "Welcome, is there something I can help you with?" She asked flattening out the wrinkle in her blouse.

"Yes, this lovely lady right here saw the dress in the window and fell in love with it." Draco answered in his best well mannered voice.

"Oh wonderful. That is our newest design and comes in three different colors. Though, I must say it is our most expensive design."

"Price isn't an issue."

Hermione lost all words. Was he really considering buying that dress for her? The woman turned to look at her. "Let's get you sized and then I'll see what colors I have for you." The lady said softly pulling Hermione with her to the other side of the shop, leaving Draco alone to look at everything else in the building.

He knew the woman for having a reputation of being one of the best designers in England. His mother talked about her often enough for him to recognize the name on the outside of the window. Glancing back at Hermione, she looked up at him with a confused expression. He found it to be adorable. "Well...it looks like I have your size in red, lavender and light blue. So it's your choice, my dear."

"Draco...you don't need to do this for me." Hermione protested.

"Sure I do, the Christmas party is tonight and I plan on taking you with me." He answered with a coy smile.

Hermione was once against stunned by his answer. She hadn't intended on showing up to the party; but as it turned out, there was someone who wanted to go with her and was willing to buy a dress for her just for the occasion. "Lavender." She answered finally.

"A wonderful color for your complexion."

The woman folded the dress neatly into a box. Draco paid for the item and handed the box to Hermione, who took the present with shaky hands. She had no idea what to say to him. The dress was a lot of money and he had already spent enough on her to get new clothes after the fire. He had done so much for her and he wasn't even her boyfriend. Just a friend that has kissed her in the past and explored her body.

They spent the rest of the walk in silence, not knowing what to say to each other. Draco opened the door and allowed her to step inside first. She placed the box on the kitchen table and then slid her coat off her shoulders. "Are you okay?" He asked taking her coat from her hand.

"I'm fine...just a little dumbfounded is all."

"Why? Because I bought you that dress?"

"Well...yeah..."

He let out a soft chuckle at her expense. Her back was against the counter when he got closer to her. Her bottom lip curled between her teeth out of nervous habit. His warm breath tickled the sensitive skin of her neck. "It is going to look amazing on you. I wanted to see you in it tonight. No reason to be dumbfounded about the things I do for you. I do them because I want to."

"I'm not used to people buying me things. I'm sorry if I sound ungrateful."

"Don't worry about it. You accompany me to the Christmas party and it will be even."

"Fair enough."

He kissed her temple and then walked back to his bedroom to change. Hermione took hold of the box again and carried it to her room. She had no idea what to expect when it came to the work party. There will be so many questions about the death threat and then the obvious questions about Draco. How was she supposed to answer those questions when she didn't have the answers?


	13. Chapter 13

**Author Note: Almost two hundred followers and almost a hundred reviews, that is exciting for me to see all the positive feedback on this story! I'm glad you like this as much as I enjoy writing it. Onto number thirteen, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Kathrynrose42, HarryPGinnyW4eva, LightofEvolution, Chester99, Legolas' Girl 31, moraine9, Hanable-13, zoesheppard and Malibu Baybreeze for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: paananlo, vampluvr4evr, Sos1234, moraine9, Silver Winged Maiden, redbone85, Azaleh, thepeacockandthebutterfly, chummywizard15, 06, Cupkates, Malibu Baybreeze, .horcrux and jaymay49 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 13:

 **December 10, Ministry of Magic**

Harry waited patiently for Stewart Lyons to make his way into his office. Draco's information was a little unsettling to him. He knew that he had assigned the task of searching Janey's apartment to him and finding out that it hadn't been aggravated him. He flipped through all the documents that had been signed off by Stewart confirming that it had been searching. The longer he looked through them the more he got more suspicious of the man in question.

When the knock on the door finally came, he slid the papers to the side and looked up from his desk to meet his face. His stern features bore into Harry like a serpent's stare when ready to strike at its victim. "You wanted to see me?" He asked tucked his hands into the front pockets of his pants.

"Yes, I wanted to follow up on the search of Janey Nissel's apartment."

"I wrote the report didn't I?" Lyons asked raising an eyebrow in question.

"You did...but it came to my attention that it hadn't been searched at all."

His eyes widened a little and then remained narrow. He knew that Draco had told him that the place hadn't been searched. He supposed there were reasons why he never like the Malfoy heir. Running a hand over the top of his head, a sigh escaped his lips. "Is there a reason you didn't do as I asked?" Harry asked only this time there was a little more aggression added to his voice tone.

"Only that it was pointless. She's dead, why does it matter?"

"Tell me you're joking. It matters because she was killed. It wasn't an accident!"

Stewart shrugged his shoulders, which only made Harry more furious at the lack of compassion from one of his Aurors. Janey may have been involved with the person who wants Hermione dead; but as it turned out the woman turned against said person to befriend Hermione and died for her action. She didn't deserve that and his best friend was no doubt blaming herself for her death.

His dark features added to the piercing blue of the color of his eyes, giving Harry a chill up his spine. Somehow he reminded him of Voldemort. The emptiness in his eyes just screamed cruelty. "You are removed from the case and subject to paperwork for a month. I don't care what branch you came from. I'm still in charge here and you will do as I say." Harry stated before waving his hand to dismiss Stewart.

Turning heel, he walked out of the room and slammed the door behind him. Harry knew that he needed someone else more reliable to take care of the case without asking Draco or Hermione for help. Of course, it was going to have to wait until the next work day. Tonight was the Christmas party and he had to do a speech and give out an award. Groaning, he slouched back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.

 **XxXxXx**

 **December 10** **th** **, Draco's Flat**

Hermione paced across the room of the bedroom she was now occupying. The dress Draco had just bought her was hung on the back of the door, staring at her. The fine silk of the material shimmered against the lighting of the room. Stopping mid-step, she turned to sit down on the edge of the bed. She could hear his words still echoing though her head. _**"It is going to look amazing on you. I wanted to see you in it tonight."**_

It wasn't that she didn't want to go with him. Her fear of what people would think came crashing down around her. She knew there was going to be thousands of questions aimed in her direction. Not just about Draco being with her; but there were going to be some about Janey, because everyone knew that she had grown close to the woman over the months. Would people stare at her? Would they whisper things about her? It was all too much. She felt like there was a weight on her chest that wouldn't let her breathe.

A soft knocking came across the closed door. She knew that Draco would be on the other side; but couldn't seem to motivate herself to move. The muffled creaking of the door opening made her turn her head in that direction. Draco stood there along with Ginny. Her warm smile was comforting. It had been a while since she had see Harry's wife. "She came to visit. I figured you'd like her company. I'll meet you at the party. Harry asked for my attendance a little early." He explained.

"Thank you." Hermione answered with a forced smile.

He nodded and turned away leaving the two women alone. Ginny made her way into the room to sit down next to her friend. The front door was heard closing from the kitchen, indicating that they really were alone. "How are you?" Ginny asked trying to keep the questions simple, even though she wanted to ask a lot more.

"I'm getting there. If I wasn't a chaotic mess before, I really am now. Bellatrix's torture still haunts me in my dreams; but now it's mostly Janey and the fire."

"You can't keep blaming yourself for it all. It's not healthy."

"The fact it...it is my fault. Someone wants me dead and she died because she alined herself with me. The same could happen any one of you...even Draco..."

Ginny understood where Hermione was coming from. If she was in the same position, she'd probably behave the same way. Anything to protect the ones she loved. She placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze. "You can't hide forever. You need to live your life. Tonight would be the perfect night to do that. Spend time with people who care about you. Surprisingly enough, that includes Draco."

When Hermione thought about Draco, the image of his lips on hers immediately came to mind. The fact that he has done so much for her in such a small amount of time was also something she thought about a lot. He was most definitely not the same person she remembered from school at Hogwarts. "Come on, let me get you ready for this thing." Ginny said standing up, her dark red gown flowed down her slender figure, hugging every curve she possessed now she had given birth to a son a little over a year ago.

 **XxXxXx**

 **December 10** **th** **, Ministry of Magic Christmas Party**

Draco spotted Harry the second he walked into the large, now decorated, conference room. A separate building that was only used for such occasion like parties. Hardly ever was it used for the intended purpose. There were already a large number of people piled into the room. Weaving through them, he caught Harry's attention. "I took Lyons off the case." He said without so much of a greeting.

"Good to know. I don't trust him." Draco replied crossing his arms over his chest.

"How is she doing?"

"Still withdrawn and hasn't decided if she's going to teach at Hogwarts for Hagrid yet. Or if she has, she hasn't told me the decision yet."

Music started to play while the food caterers set up the food on table across the far corner of the room. Turning his head, he caught sight of Hermione walking in with Ginny. The lavender color of her dress accented the color of her skin. Her long chestnut hair was straightened and pulled up into a fancy twist behind her head. The silky material clung to her body, framing every curve she possessed. The sight of her took his breath away and Harry noticed instantly.

She smiled at him in closing the distance between them. Ginny eyed Harry and immediately went to his side, kissing the side of his mouth. He wrapped an arm around her waist tightly, then kissed her temple.

"So were you right?" Hermione asked.

"Right about what?" Draco asked in return.

"Do I look amazing in this dress?"

A coy smile appeared on his lips followed by a soft chuckle. He liked how he had turned his own words against him. Her resourcefulness and witty nature was a turn on; but knew that he had to stay in control while in public in front of everyone they worked with. "Of course you do, as I knew you would."

He reached for her hand and let her to their seats at the front table. Ginny sat down next to Hermione, making sure to give her a wink before turning her attention back to her husband on the other side. Kingsley took his place in front of everyone seated. The music cut off so his voice could be heard amongst all the attendees.

His eyes shifted to a pair of stragglers that were late to the festivities. Draco turned to see who it was only to be stunned by who it really was. Stewart Lyons walked in the door with Pansy Parkinson hooked on his arm. The light blue of her dress rippled as she walked to take her seat next to him. Draco couldn't seem to think it was just a mere coincidence that the man he didn't trust at work was with his ex girlfriend, a woman who he didn't trust either.

"I want to thank everyone for coming. There has been a lot of chaotic things going on around us as of late and I couldn't think of anything better than having this get-together tonight. I also want to say thank you to Hermione Granger for joining us tonight. I know it couldn't have been easy." Kingsley stated looking in her direction.

She could feel hundreds of sets of eyes on her, followed by hushed whispers of things she couldn't hear. Kingsley continued talking about all the things they've accomplished as a unit. Hermione felt more stares at the back of her and could only guess they belonged to Pansy and the Auror she walked in with. She really didn't know his name; but was sure Draco didn't like him from the look of disgust on his face when they walked into the room. "Ignore them. They mean nothing." He leaned over to whisper in her ear, like he knew what she was thinking without saying a word. Then she realized that her hand had started to grip onto his.

"Please welcome Harry Potter." Kingsley announced stepping aside to allow Harry to speak on behave of his unit.

"Thank you. As you know, I'm in charge of the Auror department of the Ministry and it was asked of me to pick one of them who, I feel, stood out this year."

Pausing for a few seconds, he looked around the room only to see Lyons with Pansy at the table behind his wife. Swallowing the lump his throat he continued. "This person has changed a great deal over the years, has taken every job and excelled in each task. We've received a death threat as most of you are aware of. There was one person I trusted with the information before it was made public knowledge and that person was Draco Malfoy."

Everyone started clapping, knowing that what Harry spoke of was indeed the truth. Draco had changed drastically over the years and Hermione was seeing him completely differently than she ever thought she could. He stood up next to her to make his way over to the front of the room. Shaking hands with Harry, Kingsley handed him a small black plague with golden engraving on it. It was something she was curious to read when able to.

After the rest of the awards were handed out, everyone was free to eat. Hermione kept close to Draco while picking out the things she wanted to eat. There were a few whispers; but nothing negative aimed directly at her. Most were of concern for her well being, which she appreciated. After a few minutes of browsing through, a shoulder dug into her back.

"Well, if it isn't the damsel of the night." Pansy's voice crawled over her ears.

"I'm no damsel, Pansy." Hermione reminded, narrowing her eyes.

"Like you aren't enjoying all the attention everyone is giving you, because of this death threat."

"No, I'm not you. I don't crave the attention."

"It should be on me. I should be on Draco's arm, not some mud-blood like yourself."

Draco took hold of Hermione's arm within seconds, pulling her back. He knew that she was upset and angry all at the same time. He could see Stewart Lyons snake his arm around Pansy's waist, snickering at the comment she had just made at Hermione's expense. "The heir of the Malfoy estate is bedding a muggle-born, so unbecoming of a pure-blood." Stewart said pulling Pansy back against his chest.

"Those beliefs are rubbish. Your narrow minded thinking is why will both of you are no one of great importance to anyone."

"We shall see, Draco. We shall see."

Lyons pulled Pansy away towards the exit. Hermione had lost her appetite and turned away to return to where Ginny was seated. Draco could only watch and see her walls start to build back up around her. There wasn't too much time left before she was closed off to everyone. Music started back up right when dinner was over. Dozens of people made their way to the floor to loose themselves in the energy.

Draco weaved through the throb and held his hand out to Hermione. She looked up at him from her seat with a raised eyebrow. "Dance with me." He stated in a low voice that just slid over body and tugged a smile onto her lips.

Ginny elbowed her from behind until she extended her hand out for Draco to take. He led her out onto the floor, then pulled her close. She moved with every step he made, following everything he did. "I must say...you are a good dancer." She complimented feeling his hand tighten around her back.

"I am sorry about what Pansy said to you tonight. It's not right."

"Some people will never accept my kind...just as some will never accept that blood status means nothing. I appreciate you sticking up for me though."

Hermione's feet fell in sync with his after being spun around a second. He pulled her even closer than she was before. His warm breath caressed her bare shoulders. "There was no reason not to. I know your trying to figure things out and your mind is all chaotic; but I want you to know..."

"I know. You've done so much for me...that I could never pay back. I wouldn't even know where to start."

"I didn't ask you to. There is only one thing I want."

"And what's that?"

"You..."

His answer took her breath away entirely. He didn't care that there was so many of his co-workers surrounding him. He didn't care that Kingsley was looking down at them. He didn't care that Harry was next to him with Ginny in his arms. He leaned in to capture Hermione's lips with his own. Both stopped dancing to hold onto each other desperately. The feeling of her tongue brush across his was intoxicating. Cupping the sides of her face with both of his hands, he moved one of them to the back of her neck. "It's about time..." He heard Harry say to Ginny in passing.

Breaking away, Draco looked down at Hermione in his arms. There was tint of pink to her cheeks that he found to be stunning. The words escaped both of their mouths just as the music faded away only to hear glass shattering and a strong wind gust through the entire building. All the tables scattered across the floor, hitting several of the people inside. Hermione knelt to the ground to turn her head to see a pair of glowing eyes from the dark shadow of the outside.

She recognized the glow as those from Chimera. Screaming for people to run, she knew that it was falling on deaf ears. It was too late. Flames burst through the walls of building, setting everything in sight ablaze.

"Run!" She screamed once again, pulling Draco along with her.

People filtered towards the exit, forgetting about their belongings. Digging her wand out from the side of her dress, she held it out. Chanting a few words, a small barrier surrounded her and Draco. It bought some time for more people to make their exit. The flames were quickly consuming everything in sight. The image of her apartment building burning returned to her mind. Whoever wanted her dead knew that she was there and decided Janey's life wasn't enough. They wanted to take more lives.

Turning her head slightly, she could see that almost everyone had gotten out already. The red eyes bore into hers once again. Her frozen body couldn't react when a second burst of flames entered the building. "Hermione! We need to go!" Draco shouted out of desperation.

The flames consumed two innocent people running towards the door. Hermione's eyes widened in horror, realizing that there was nothing she could do to stop the hell that had been unleashed upon them. Draco pulled at her arm, snapping her concentration on the barrier around them. The heat from the fire was overwhelming, burning the edges of the bottom part of her dress.

He could see the Chimera for the first time and knew it was ready to unleash a third wave of flames, that's when he could see a hooded figure sitting on the creatures back. Quickly grabbing her arm, he pushed her out the door. He was pushed forward by the intensity of the fire and the burst of wind.

"Draco!" Hermione screamed running to his side.

Harry knelt down, lifting his unconscious body up with the help of Kingsley. Ginny held Hermione close as they quickly scattered towards a place where they could treat Draco fully without any interruptions.


	14. Chapter 14

**Author Note: You readers are simply amazing. I love reading all the kind words of encouragement and opinions of what you think so far. Thank you for making this the highest followed story I have ever written. Onto number fourteen, this chapter was inspired by the song 'Deep End' by Ruelle. Let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: zoesheppard, Legolas's Girl 31, Malibu Baybreeze, LightofEvolution, Snowflake Dazzle, moraine9, HarryPGinnyW4eva, KyloRen'sgirl213 and Hanable-13 for the wonderful reviews.**

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Chapter 14:

 **December 12** **th** **, Infirmary (Ministry of Magic)**

Draco lay in a medical bed, unmoving except for his steady breathing. Burns lingered across his forearms and dozens coated his back. Madam Poppy Pomfrey arrived early that morning to begin treating him better than anyone in the Ministry could. The older woman shifted her gaze from her patient to Hermione sitting at his side. She looked like hadn't slept in those two days since the incident happened.

"You really should rest, Miss Granger."

"How can I? This is my fault. Whoever did this wanted me dead...I'm..."

She pulled her knees up against her chest and buried her face in them. The gentle woman moved to her side and wrapped her arms around the saddened witch. She knew about most of what's been going on inside the Ministry; but she never knew it was this bad. It sounded like the death eaters had reformed to take revenge. Starting with the one they think is the weakest; however, there wasn't any facts to prove that. It was just a theory.

Hermione looked up from her knees and kept her eyes on Draco's prone body. The last thing he told her was that he wanted her. He had been so desperate to keep her safe that she never noticed the Chimaera had been ready to strike for a third time. The tingling sensation on her lips was a reminder that their feelings for each other were indeed real and the longer he lay in that bed it just tore her apart from the inside, knowing that the reason he was in such a condition was because of her.

"Hermione, he will be fine. You should go home and rest. I'll send word if something changes."

Slowly moving from the chair, Hermione leaned down to brush away a couple stray locks of his hair from his eyes and then walked out of the room reluctantly. Weaving around people, she finally made it to the elevator that would take her down to the first floor. She kept her eyes ahead, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

Her argument with Pansy that night rang harsh through her mind.

" _ **Well, if it isn't the damsel of the night." Pansy's voice crawled over her ears.**_

" _ **I'm no damsel, Pansy." Hermione reminded, narrowing her eyes.**_

" _ **Like you aren't enjoying all the attention everyone is giving you, because of this death threat."**_

" _ **No, I'm not you. I don't crave the attention."**_

" _ **It should be on me. I should be on Draco's arm, not some mud-blood like yourself."**_

It had been so hard not to lash out at her for saying what she did. It also didn't help that her new eye candy was someone that Draco didn't like. He wasn't the nicest person to her either, almost like they wanted to make her miserable. Pansy was jealous that she no longer had Draco on her arm and could be the center of attention, that much was obvious to her; but was it enough to want her dead?

The thought that Pansy was the one behind it all also seemed too obvious of an answer. Stewart was also someone that was pretty obvious considering all the nasty things he said that night. It confused her to no end and when she thought about it more, her heart ached for Draco.

" _ **You've done so much for me...that I could never pay back. I wouldn't even know where to start."**_

" _ **I didn't ask you to. There is only one thing I want."**_

" _ **And what's that?"**_

" _ **You..."**_

No matter how hard she fought against the tears, they fell over her lashes, burning the corners of her eyes. Hermione turned the corner and ran into woman's body. Looking up, her heart broke even further when her eyes came in contact with those of Narcissa Malfoy. Her long blonde and black hair was pulled up into a fancy twist on her head. There was a certain softness behind her eyes that only confused Hermione more. "I am so sorry, Mrs. Malfoy..."

"Please...call me Narcissa." She replied holding her hand up to stop Hermione from babbling more.

"I am sorry...for everything..."

"No need to apologize. I know what's been going on."

Hermione couldn't form any words to answer her. She wondered if Draco spoke of her to his mother and of how much she really knew about things between them? His mother was a lot calmer than she thought she would be coming face to face with the reason her son was laying in a medical bed with dozens of burns on his body. "I've been torn...maybe I should take the job at Hogwarts for a while. It would keep everyone else safe."

Narcissa watched as Hermione sucked in her bottom lip and clench her hands into fists at her sides. The desperation was written all over her face. The motherly instincts rose to the surface as she pulled her into an embrace. "I think no matter where you go, the danger will follow until it is dealt with head on. Draco knew the dangers from the beginning."

"I know; but it doesn't ease the pain of knowing that it was my fault."

"Come with me..."

Releasing Hermione from her embrace, she nodded and followed Draco's mother back up towards the infirmary. Madam Pomfrey was dabbing ointment on the burns on his back. Looking up from her patient, her eyes widened upon seeing Narcissa standing with Hermione. "Miss Malfoy...I assure you that your son will make a full recovery."

"He's been asleep for two days. What is the cause of that?" Narcissa asked.

"He hit his head pretty hard. He just needs time to rest."

Squinting her eyes, Hermione didn't want to think about that night. She had seen the sheer determination on his face and the swirl of desire to protect her from harm. Narcissa pulled her over closer to the bed. She had already spent all night by his side and didn't understand what his mother was trying to accomplish by making her stand there once again. "He's written to me several times since the death threats started. He didn't know how to help you when your friend was killed in the fire."

"He did more than enough for me already."

Collapsing back down on the chair, she folded her hands across her lap fumbling with her thumbs. Narcissa could see the despair clearly written on her face and could see that she was genuinely concerned for her son's safety; but it was more than that. Judging from the look on her face, there were emotions that exceeded those of just caring for someone. The war hero could very well be in love with her son.

"Has he mentioned my offer to you?"

"What offer?" Hermione asked, her curiosity peeked.

"I offered for the two of you to stay with me at the manor. It's like a fortress and I have the best guards anyone could ask for."

"No...he never said anything..."

Her offer surprised her for more than one reason. One, she was a muggle-born and two, she was a muggle-born. It didn't fit with everything he was taught to be. Or maybe it had all been his father's words and not hers. She supposed there was only one way to find out and she really didn't want to go back to an empty apartment. "What do you say to staying with me until he is fully healed?" She asked softly, placing her hand upon Draco's.

 **XxXxXx**

 **December 13** **th** **, Ministry of Magic**

Harry was working as quickly as possible on some time sensitive material when Hermione opened his office door. He was surprised to see her despite everything that happened over the last couple of days; but knew that she was probably visiting Draco, who still hadn't woken up since the accident. Her long curls were pulled up into a high ponytail and was dressed her traditional jeans and sweater. "What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Just got done seeing how Draco is doing. No change there and I also came to give Kingsley my answer to whether or not I'll take that temp job at Hogwarts." She answered.

"And what did you decide to do?"

"I can't...there is too much going on here for me to leave. I need to face this or it will never go away."

He stood up from his desk chair and circled around until he stood before her. There was a determination in her eyes that he hadn't seen since everything started. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, she smiled accepting the comfort and forgetting about that fact that he kept the death threat a secret from her from the beginning. "There are so many that will protect you." He said against her hear as he let go of her.

"I know. Narcissa has been letting into the library at the manor so I can study different magics. Believe it or not, she's been extremely helpful to me."

"It's only been one night since you decided to stay there...and I just hope you're as safe as she claims you are there." Harry replied expressing his concerns.

Hermione placed a hand on his cheek, "Don't worry. She's been wonderful to me. I just..." She said cutting herself off before saying too much a little too soon. Harry noticed instantly her hesitation in saying what was on her mind to begin with.

"You just what? Talk to me. You can tell me anything, you know that." He encouraged. She gave him a half-smile and took a step back away from him. "I miss him. I've spent every day with him for the last couple of weeks and now...he's not there."

"Understandable, you care a great deal for him and I couldn't be happier for you."

"Thank you."

 **XxXxXx**

" _Hermione!" Draco's voice screamed._

 _She turned her head towards him only for him to see red eyes shimmer behind her defenseless body. Flames scattered across the room, surrounding her within the walls of fire. Her cries were ear piercing and there was nothing he could to help her. The heat was scorching the edges of his clothing just being as close as he was._

 _He held out his wand in attempts to part the wall. The desperation was rolling across his body in waves along with sweat from the heat. When he finally parted the wall, he raced through. Scooping her into his arms, her eyes were shut. Screaming out of frustration, he pointed his wand back towards the wall of flames and parted it once more._

" _Wake up, Hermione." He pleaded._

 _She remained unmoving. He laid her down on grass once outside and chanted several words as his wand did the rest. The magic caressed her body but did nothing to wake her or start her breathing. A burning sensation formed at the corner of his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Damnit! Wake up! Please!" He shouted._

 _There was nothing and deep down he knew that she was gone. He had failed to keep her safe and there was no way he could live with that on his conscious. The bastard who did this had won, succeeded in his goal to end her life. "Hermione..." He cried holding her lifeless body against his chest._

" _I love you..."_

Draco shot up from the medical bed covered in sweat. He cringed in pain, releasing where he was and what kind of condition he was in. The room was dark and the only light visible was from the moon shining through the window next to his bed. "It was just a dream..." He whispered before drifting back into slumber, hoping he would wake in the morning and see that beautiful face he craved more than anything.


	15. Chapter 15

**Author Note: Thank you all to making this the best harry potter fic I have ever written. I'm thrilled you readers like it as much as I like writing it for you. It's still the highest followed story I have ever written an in any fandom. Onto number fifteen, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Mandi1174, madditeal, SolarBlueRose, coffee-addicted, Codyhobbs, flyingfishesbb, EllaVictoria91, littlecupofrandom, , Cupcakes-r-cute and lykketraef for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Chester99, Legolas' Girl 31, Hanable-13, coffee-addicted, LightofEvolution, HarryPGinnyW4eva, Kathrynrose42, Snowflake Dazzle, Green Eyed Lana Lee, moraine9 and zoesheppard for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 15:

 **December 14** **th** **, Malfoy Manor**

Hermione awoke to a loud commotion outside the library doors. She had fallen asleep reading a book about some of the dark magics of the wizard world. Sitting the old book on the table next to her, she slid off the chair and moved slowly towards the door. Narcissa's voice could be hear loudly as if she was arguing with someone. "You need to leave." Her voice boomed.

"Think about it! Do you really want a half-blood to taint your family line?" Another female voice entered the fray, one Hermione recognized all too well.

Pansy Parkinson. She battled herself with whether or not she should open the door and give the witch a piece of her mind. Thinking back on the Christmas Party for the Ministry, she remembered every single word spoken by the woman outside the door. It made her mind up for her. Reaching her hand out towards the door, she was startling by a loud pecking on the window.

Whirling around, her eyes come in contact with those of a beautiful brown owl. Without thinking about what was going on outside the room, she ran towards the window. Hermione took the parchment attached to his talon. Her stomach knotted almost instantly in hopes that it was news about Draco.

" _ **Miss Granger and Mrs, Malfoy**_

 _ **Draco is awake.**_

 _ **Madame Pomfrey"**_

Hermione read the words a second time and then a third to make sure she wasn't hallucinating them. When she was satisfied in the fact that they were really there, she ran across the room and opened the door. Narcissa and Pansy both looked at her. "Hermione, what's wrong?" Narcissa asked, her voice full of concern.

"Draco's awake." She replied keeping her voice steady and unwavering; but kept her eyes on Pansy the entire time.

"And he wouldn't have been in the condition he was in if it wasn't for you." Pansy said taking several steps closer to Hermione.

Narrowing her eyes, she could feel the anger swell within her. This time Draco wasn't there to stop her from lashing out. In a matter seconds, her hand connected with Pansy's cheek in a loud crack. The slap echoed the hallway. Narcissa stood slightly dumbfounded by the woman's aggression; but realized that maybe she had just had enough of the former Slytherin girl's harassment. "You think that I don't blame myself for his injuries? How very wrong you are. The difference between you and I is the fact that I can own up to my mistakes and flaws. You just think you are perfect when you are far from it."

"Why you little..."

"That's enough, Pansy!" Narcissa yelled, shutting her up instantly.

"I've told you once to leave and I won't say it again. Leave now. You are no longer welcome in my home. You've done plenty of damage to my son already, no need to upset the newest woman in his life." Narcissa stated lowering her voice down an octave. Hermione was once again stunned by Draco's mother insistence in helping her out when it was everything in her natural to behave just as Pansy was.

"You really have fallen low since Lucius's imprisonment. He would never have allowed such a coupling to happen."

Turning heel, Pansy left with a forming red hand print across her cheek. A hand rested on Hermione's shoulder. She turned to see the soft eyes that resembled those of Draco's. Eyes she missed a great deal. There was so much she wanted to tell the woman; but thought better of it until she figured out where she and Draco stood after their kiss in front the entire ministry.

 **XxXxXx**

 **December 14** **th** **, The Ministry Infirmary**

Draco blinked his eyes several times, adjusting to the light that was shining in the room. Madame Pomfrey was busy mixing another batch of ointment to put on his burns. Turning his head, he could see that they were already in the healing process and began to wonder how long he had been unconscious for.

The older woman turned and met his open eyes. With a smile, she sat down on the chair next to the bed and began to dab the burned skin with the cool paste. "You gave everyone quite a scare Mr. Malfoy." She said breaking the silence between them.

"My apologies...how long was I out for?" He asked cringing a little in pain as she continued her work on the burns on his arms.

"Three days. You were in pretty bad shape when they brought you up here. They brought me in a couple hours later."

Draco said nothing, not really knowing what else to say in the matter. He hadn't known that his condition was that bad. The last thing he remembered what the Chimaera attacking a third time and he shoved Hermione from the building at the last second. Thinking about Hermione made him miss her calming presence. "Can you roll to your side for me? I need to get the burns on your back." Madame Pomfrey asked.

He did as he was asked and as he lay there, his eyes kept looking at the closed door. Poppy could see that he was staring at the door and the image made her smile. The young Auror was in love and he didn't even know it yet. She watched at his eyes slid closed again just as she finished putting the ointment on the burns.

The door opened quietly to reveal Narcissa Malfoy and Hermione Granger. Hermione's eyes instantly locked on Draco's sleeping form. "I thought you said he was awake." She asked quietly and then saw him roll back over onto his back.

"He was...he just fell back to sleep. His recovery is moving along nicely. It shouldn't be much longer and he will be able to go home." Poppy answered.

"Wonderful news..." Narcissa said softly, letting out a breath of air she had been holding in.

Hermione mindlessly moved towards the medical bed and sat down in the chair next to it. "Hermione, I have to take care of some things with Lucius's upcoming trial. I'll return shortly." She said before walking out of the room. Pretty soon the room was empty and quiet. Nothing but Draco's steady breathing could be heard, which seemed to calm her down a lot more considering how frustrated she had been only a couple hours earlier.

"I am so sorry, Draco..." She whispered, closing her eyes tightly.

Blinking his eyes open, Draco could hear her soft apology. A smile tugged at his lips as he finally got to see her beautiful face. Reaching out his hand, he placed it upon hers. She snapped open her eyes to meet his. His coy smile melted her defenses almost instantly. "Do not apologize..." He stated struggling to sit up.

"You know this is my fault..." She countered helping him to a sitting position.

"It's not. No one knew that a Chimaera was going to attack, let alone try to kill every single person in that room. Maybe it was after you; but it didn't matter, I was going to keep you safe no matter what."

"Draco...you could have died...and I..."

Draco cupped the side of her face, drawing her in. "But I didn't...I'm right here. Living and breathing. I promise we will find who is doing this and bring them to justice." He said right before capturing her lips in a desperate kiss. Tangling his fingers through the soft curls of her hair, he held onto her for fear of losing her.

Hermione didn't want the moment to end; but the sound of someone clearing their throat separated them to see that Narcissa was standing in the doorway. Draco was seeing his mother for the first time in several months. Her motherly smile was comforting as she approached them. Hermione sat back down in the chair, keeping her mouth shut so as to give them time to catch up after lost time. She was sure there was some new information concerning his father's upcoming trial as well.

"So good to see you my son." She greeted.

"How are you fairing?" He asked.

"Pretty well, I've had company the past couple of days."

Draco looked from his mother to Hermione and realized that the company she spoke of her was indeed her. It was weird to think about the conversations they had while he was unconscious in the medical bed he was currently occupying. Did they speak of him? Did they speak of the current situations when it came to Hermione's safety? "Any word on father?" He asked softly.

"Only that the trial will begin Monday and it will take three days to complete. Prison is changing him from the inside out. I saw him yesterday...hes nothing but skin and bones."

"He's guilty...you know that. He deserves to pay for everything he's done over the last ten years."

"Draco..." Hermione called, unsure if she had heard him correctly.

Narcissa held out her hand to stop Hermione for saying another word. "It's okay, he's entitled to his opinion. Draco has had it rough and no child should have gone through the things he did growing up, which is why I took you in Hermione. I've read the words he's spoken of you and his desire to keep you safe from this threat. It reminds me so much of myself as a teenager, before I met your father and everything went astray; but I never once regretted having you. You are what kept me going through all the dark times."

"Mother..."

"I will wait for you outside, Hermione."

They watched Narcissa leave the room and allow them time alone once more. Hermione felt a weight fall onto her chest. She never realized just how misunderstood Draco had been in school. Or the fact his mother had been such a different person before marrying Lucius. It made her wonder if it had been an arranged marriage. "When did she change her views?"

"She didn't. She's just not as aggressive with it as she once was. She still wants me to marry a pure-blood witch; but I don't think she'd disown me if I didn't."

Hermione thought about what he said for a moment. Did she really want to put him in anymore danger or risk his family never speaking to him again all because of her? Swallowing hard, she clenched her hands together over her lap. "Maybe you should..."

"What?"

"Look, I'm a walking time bomb. There is someone or group of someones that want me dead and you already got hurt once because of it. Do you really want your mother to have to bury her only son? I'm not good for anyone and I'd rather face this alone."

"Hermione...don't..."

He could see the tears forming in her eyes and the heartbreak she was putting on herself. She didn't want to sever the ties; but she felt like she had to in order to keep him from getting hurt again. He watched her stand up from the chair and tears fall from her lashes to roll down her pale cheeks. Cringing in pain, he knew there was no way he could chase after her when she inevitably was going to leave. "It's the only way to keep you from getting hurt again. I'm sorry."

"Hermione..."

She walked away, ignoring his calls of her name. Opening the door, Narcissa stood there waiting; but noticed the tears rolling down her face. She wasn't oblivious to emotion and there was clearly a lot running through the muggle-born witch in that moment. "Where are you going?" Narcissa asked giving chase.

"I'm leaving. I appreciate you trying to tolerate me; but it won't be needed anymore. You don't like me and that's okay. I'm not the woman you want your son to be with and that's okay. I'm not going to be and by me leaving...it will keep him safe."

"I..."

"You don't need to make things up to make me feel better. Pansy was right. I am at fault for this and I'll never forgive myself for it; but I do want you to know...I do love him and that is why I'm willing to let him go in order to keep him safe."

With that said, Hermione turned heel and walked away. Words left Narcissa's mouth upon hearing her declaration of love for her son; but her selfless cause made her realize that maybe the pure-blood standard wasn't necessary anymore. He turned to look inside the room at Draco staring at the wall in a blank emotionless state. Had she caused this?

The look of despair on her son's face was tearing her apart. Hearing Hermione admit that she loved her son, it made even more sense to see that Draco was struggling with coming to tears in the fact that he to was in love. Leaving was breaking his heart and there was only one thing that was going to mend it. That was Hermione Granger herself.


	16. Chapter 16

**Author Note: I'm so thankful for all the wonderful responses I've been getting with this story. I'm actually on my way back from Florida for vacation; but I couldn't help but get a new chapter out for all of while on this long car ride down. I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Legolas' Girl 31, Malibu Baybreeze, LightofEvolution, zoesheppard, moraine9, Cat130, Snowflake Dazzle, HarryPGinnyW4eva and Green Eyed Lana Lee for the wondeful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: mezy, smaltbey, eyeswideshut88, latind1403, d3d, krichards25, riaroo400, paredescharlene, Cat130, BoredRavenvlaw620, Princessrutherella, mlmrl, Kt the pastel princess, lambotran, Quirky74747, kdrac and SnowApple91 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 16:

 **December 16** **th**

Hermione leaned her head against the glass of the window on the train she was riding in. There was so much on her mind and no destination in sight. She just wanted to keep running and not look back at the things she left behind. Her heart was shattered with the loss of Draco's safety. The decision to leave wasn't an easy one to make; but a necessary one. The fact that Draco spent a lot of time protecting her instead of looking out for himself was unsettling to her.

"You look like you could use someone to talk to." A voice inched into her mind severing the link to her personal thoughts.

She looked over to see a familiar face, one she hadn't seen in a couple of years. Minerva McGonagall, current headmistress of Hogwarts School of Wizardry. It was weird to see her outside of the walls of the school, which meant something must be happening that required Ministry help. "Possibly...I really don't know..." Hermione replied softly.

"You know...I don't blame you for not wanting to take the job at Hogwarts. After what you've been through, I was actually going to be surprised if you would have taken it."

"It was about the children. I didn't want to bring danger along with me."

"What about the danger you are in?"

Hermione was a little stunned by Minerva's statement and it made her more curious as to why she was even there in the first place. Minerva noticed her former student's hesitation and figured she'd better say something. "Yes, I know about the threats made on your life, which is why I think you need to be someplace safe until the Ministry figures things out."

"Thanks kind of the problem..."

 **XxXxXxXx**

"I can't sit in bed all day, mother!" Draco shouted.

"You are still hurt, Draco. You must rest." Narcissa argued.

"She's still missing!"

Narcissa knew who her son was talking about without even asking. Hermione Granger had become a big thing in his life and after his injuries happened, she pulled away and ran. No one has heard from her in two days. Madame Pomfrey released Draco from her care later that night; but it had been too late. All of Hermione's things were gone. All that was left was the singed dress that she had worn to the Christmas Party.

"I know...and I am sorry she left; but you need to worry about yourself."

"I can't do that..."

"Draco..."

"Don't! Nothing you say is going to change my mind."

Draco struggled to his feet from the oversized chair in his bedroom. He was determined to get to the Ministry and talk to Harry personally about the status of their search. He stood before his mother in defiance. She narrowed her eyes, knowing that her words meant nothing. He was already in love with the muggle born witch that had helped defeat Voldemort in the war. "Where do you plan to go?" She asked.

"The Ministry. I'm hoping Potter will have some news on her whereabouts."

"Please be careful. I don't want to see you end up like your father."

Narcissa couldn't help but feel proud of how much her son had grown into his own person; but also feared what would happen to him in the future due to his choices. He had very few traits that resembled his father and in some ways, she was grateful for that. Draco slipped on a shirt from the closet and kissed his mother's cheek before gingerly walking out of the room and out of the manor entirely.

It didn't take him long to get to his destination; but his thoughts were clouded and unfocused on what was needed to find Hermione. He wanted her back safely in his arms. He wanted to kiss her lips until they bruised and bury himself in her scent. He craved her presence.

"What on earth are you bloody doing here, Draco?" Harry asked crossing his arms over his chest unimpressed with him showing up.

"I'm fine. Any word on Hermione?"

"I wish there was something I could tell you. We haven't seen her since she left you in the infirmary."

"Damnit!"

Draco clenched both hands into fists at his sides. He was beating himself up on the inside for not trying to convince her to stay that day. Harry could understand his best Auror's frustration. There had been moments before he actually had Ginny to himself that he wandered if they actually belonged together.

It was obvious to him that Draco was struggling with how he was feeling towards Hermione. He was also sure his mother was trying to steer him away from the idea of being with a muggle born witch entirely.

"We will find her. I'm in the process of contacting Hogwarts to see if she went there." Harry stated.

"Okay; but I really doubt she's there. Then again, maybe she did just to hide away from everything."

They both stood in silence, neither ready to speak the unthinkable. Neither wanted to say the worst case scenario. Draco refused to think that she was dead somewhere or even hurt begging for help like he had heard her do once before. It wasn't until there was a knock on the door did they finally look up from the floor.

"Come in!" Harry shouted.

Draco turned to see Stewart Lyons step into the room. He instantly narrowed his brows the second his eyes met his. "Didn't expect to see you here, Mr. Malfoy. I heard your injuries were pretty significant." Stewart stated before upturning his lips into a grin. Harry knew that Draco wasn't in the mood to be taunted and would no doubt lash out at the American Auror. In attempts to prevent a fight, he stepped between them and looked Stewart in the eyes directly.

"What do you need, Lyons?" Harry asked.

"Brought the file you asked for on the Christmas Party incident." He answered holding up a manila colored folder.

The folder was snatched quickly by Draco's hand. Not saying a word to either man, he opened the folder to scan the contents. Most he already knew from witnessing it first hand; but the fact that they determined that it had to have been done from the inside surprised him a little. Thinking back on that night, Lyons had made comments to Hermione along with his former flame, Pansy.

Shifting the folder to Harry's direction, he took a small step out around his boss to stare Stewart directly in the face. "Is there a problem?" Stewart asked with the same grin that only seemed to fuel Draco's anger further.

"Draco." Harry warned.

"I see." Stewart commented closing his eyes briefly. "You think because I don't like your little mudblood princess that I would be the one behind the death threats and the Chimaera attack."

"It crossed my mind." Draco finally answered after a few seconds of silence.

"Sorry to disappoint, I'm not behind it. Now if you excuse me I have things to do."

Stewart left the room, leaving a very annoyed Draco alone with Harry. Draco let out a frustrated groan before turning heel to leave the room as well. "You stay focused, Malfoy. We can't do anything for her if we have clouded thoughts and judgments." Harry said trying to be the voice of reason.

"You know that it doesn't mean that he wasn't involved in some way." Draco said ignoring Harry's suggestion.

"I know..."

 **XxXxXxXx**

Hermione followed Minerva off the train. A wooden bench sat ahead of them. She moved to sit down on it, not realizing that her former teacher was going to do the same. "I don't understand why this hurts so much." She said softly.

"I may be able to give you a better answer if you told me exactly what you're running from."

She contemplated the notion; but there was piece of her that was whispering that she wasn't ready to talk about it. There was also a part of her that was ready, an internal war battling deep within her. "It's complicated."

"From the look on your face, I'd say you miss someone very dear to your heart. I may be old; but I know the look of longing because I've seen it on my face many years ago."

Hermione clenched her hand on the handle of her bag even tighter. A flash of Draco's face appeared inside her mind. His soft blue-gray eyes so serene and calming to the point a sigh escaped her lips. "I just don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me. There has been three deaths and one seriously injured already...it's all my fault."

"Is the reason you're running because someone you cared about died or got injured?"

"Both actually. Janey was killed and left to burn in my apartment. Draco...was severely burned trying to protect me."

Now Minerva understood. Hermione cared for Draco Malfoy, a pure blood that had a family that would forbid a union of any kind between them. From how she heard it, Draco also cared for her. That was indeed complicated and something completely unexpected, especially given the hostility between them in their days at Hogwarts.

Though she knew that people changed as time passed, it still surprised her to see such a look of longing on her face. "There is a lot going on inside my head. I wish I could explain it better to you. All I know it that it hurts like hell to not have him around, even though I know it's for the best if he stays away from me."

"You are speaking of Draco, are you not?" Minerva asked.

"Yes."

Leaning forward, she let out a sigh. Hundreds of muggles swarmed the train station as they continued to sit on the bench in silence. Hermione thought back on the first day he had come to her office, then their kiss under the mistletoe and of course, the Christmas party when he had admitted that he wanted her. All the memories took her breath away and a burning sensation to form at the corners of her eyes. "I think you need to go back to the Ministry." Minerva suggested.

"What good will that do?" Hermione asked standing up from the bench.

"It's probably the safest place for you right now. I'll even accompany you there if you wish."

Minerva stood up and inched her way towards the shorter woman. Touching the tip of her wand into the middle of Hermione's back, soft words caressed her ears and soon she fell asleep. Slumping back into the seasoned witch. "I am sorry for doing this to you; but it's for the best." She said just as Kingsley stepped out around the corner.

"I thank you Minerva for your assistance in locating her. This whole process has been agonizing. She will be safe in the Ministry while we try to figure out who is behind the threats. If you will continue to work on your end, it would be greatly appreciated."

Kingsley picked up Hermione's limp body and proceeded to carry her away from the Headmistress of Hogwarts. "She better be, Kingsley. That girl has a bright future." Minerva commented just as they disappeared from sight.

 **December 17** **th** **, Ministry of Magic Infirmary**

Hermione slowly opened her eyes to see the familiar scenery of the Infirmary located inside the Ministry of Magic. Running a hand over her face, she turned her head to see that the room was empty from everyone. Not even a nurse in sight, which was good for her. Tossing the covers off her body, she shifted to place her bare feet on the cool floor.

"Oh, you're awake." A voice stated behind her.

Turning around, her chestnut eyes came in contact with a soft green ones. The nurse had to be a new one. She had never seen her before. "What am I doing here?" Hermione asked trying to figure out how she had even gotten there. Judging from the look of things, she had been put under a sleeping spell.

"You were brought in yesterday asleep from Kingsley himself. I know nothing else about what the reason you were put under that sleeping spell. All I do know is that he will be in shortly to check on your progress."

"Thanks..."

Pushing herself to stand up, her head became dizzy. Falling back down in the bed, she closed her eyes to shield them from the spinning room. A side-effect to using the spell in such a large dose. She had no doubt that it had come from Minerva McGonagall herself. Harry must have had asked for her help when she took off without warning.

The door opened, startling her to look up at who entered. Who was standing there completely took her breath away. Bleach blonde hair with blue-gray eyes and a form fitting pair of black slacks with a white button-up shirt. Two of the buttons were left open, revealing a little skin of his chest to her viewing.

"Draco..."

 **End Note: I apologize for the cliff hanger; but this chapter is kind of two parts. Hopefully I'll get the seconds part posted soon.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Author Note: Vacation in Florida was amazing, now I'm back to cold weather in Pennsylvania. Hopefully since spring is here it will finally warm up a little. I want to thank all of you who still continue to read this crazy ride of a story. For those wondering how much is left...I can assure you there is still plenty inside this mind to write. Onto the next part and let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Excaliber00, ItsNanna, ladytish, Blookluver132, jesskaiser, Smore4u08, XORENTXOX, Tfeltonismine, LadyKas, HHrbelong2gether, Lovetoread416, and Bbaillie for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: HarryPGinnyW4eva, Hanable-13, moraine9, Snowflake Dazzle, Malibu Baybreeze, LightofEvolution, Legolas' Girl 31, zoesheppard and BoredRavenvlaw620 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Thank you to the guest who pointed out my auto-correct error. This is the fixed version of the chapter.**

Chapter 17:

 **December 17** **th** **, The Ministry**

"Mr. Malfoy!" A voice yelled calling him back from the exit.

Draco turned to see Kingsley's assistant running through the throb of workers trying to get out of the building. His mind was a chaotic nightmare when the feeling of dread was the only thing circling through his whole being. She stopped a few inches away from him trying to catch her breath before her mouth opened to speak. "Miss Granger has been found."

"Where is she?"

"Kingsley left to retrieve her about an hour ago. I've been looking all over for you."

"So she will be brought here then?"

"Yes."

By the tone of the woman's voice, there was no need to feel dread anymore. The way it sounded Hermione was indeed alive and well. In his opinion, she was probably kicking and screaming about coming back to the ministry. A gentle hand was placed upon his arm, startling him back to reality. "If I may be so bold...you are lucky to know her. I've always wanted to meet her and thank her for helping to rid this world of Voldemort."

"I'm sure she would like to hear that." He replied stepping away to return back inside the building, heading straight for the only place that Kingsley would take her.

The infirmary. When he got there, a nurse was walking into the room. Kingsley was walking towards him with a stern look upon his face. It made him wonder what had happened in the process of bringing her back. Was he angry about the circumstances that shrouded the whole thing? "Minister." Draco stated in greeting.

"You are to keep an eye on her at all times. I don't care what you have to do to keep her safe; but you will do it, or it will be your job. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir."

The explanation was vague. Though, he never really expected there to be much of one. Turning the knob, he pushed the door open to see Hermione sitting up. Her eyes met his almost instantly, bringing his name to her lips softly. It had only been a couple days since they saw each other; but to him it felt like a lot longer.

The nurse noticed the tension fairly quickly and left to get some supplies leaving the two alone, giving herself a metal note to take a little longer so as not to be a part of whatever was going to happen between them.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked.

"I'm fine no thanks to Headmistress McGonagall's sleeping spell."

"She was doing the right thing by telling Kingsley where you were."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him. He knew that she was angry and half expected her to yell at him; but she did nothing. Instead, she turned her head to break eye contact with him and slouched back down into the bed. Rolling his eyes, he proceeded to close the distance between them. He was determined to figure things out and wasn't going to leave until he got answers. "You can't avoid me forever, Hermione."

"It's safer for you if I did."

"Stop that. I knew what the dangers were the second I agreed to the mission."

"Doesn't make it okay. I've seen enough death because of me. I don't want to see anyone else die."

Draco sat down in the chair. Her hair hid her eyes from his viewing. He reached out to cup the side of her face, forcing her to look at him. She sucked in her bottom lip, struggling so hard not to look at his eyes. Her one weakness was his eyes. "I know you don't. I promised you that I would keep you safe and that's what I intend to do...not because my boss asked me to...not because Kingsley told me I'd loose my job if I didn't...but because I want to. I want you with me, Hermione."

"Draco..."

"Please...don't push me away. I need you..."

She could see the desperation written on his face. Her heart was pounding on the inside of her chest. His eyes were swirling with every truth he spoke and it made her own eyes burn with pending tears. He was fighting for her and that was something completely new to her. "It's impossible for us to be anything. I think you know that to." Hermione addressed trying so hard not to let those tears fall.

"In your mind it's impossible. In mine...it is. I want to see where this can go."

"Nowhere. Your family will make sure of that."

"You let me deal with my family."

His words were truly convincing; but there was still a low voice nagging at her to keep her distance that she would only get hurt in the end. She never got a chance to answer him when Kingsley and Harry walked through the door. The Minister's face was stern; but there was a hint of caring behind his eyes. Harry was full of concern that much was obvious.

Draco pulled his hand away from her face to rest it upon his lap, awaiting for the words of what was to come when it came to her safety. Deep down, he just wanted to take her back to his flat and let her rest comfortably. "Hermione, you gave us such a scare." Harry commented.

"Don't be daft. You know damn well that all of you are safer if I just went on my way." She snapped turning her head away from their view.

"You are stronger than this. You've always been the voice of encouragement for me over the years. Why don't you give some of that encouragement to yourself." Harry replied.

"He's right. You are one of the brightest witches I've come across in many years. We need you here and alive, so you may continue your work to help future generations." Kingsley injected.

She didn't want to die. There were still a lot of things she wanted to do with her life. One of them being the fact that she wanted to become the Minister someday herself. She wanted to change the magical word for the better. Somehow, she must have forgotten that dream along the way. Moving her head back to look at them, she gripped the sheet tighter in her clenched hands. "I won't run anymore. There are still things I want to do in my life."

"Draco will be assigned to be your personal guard at all times." Kingsley stated before leaving the room with Harry not far behind. However, before Harry left, he turned to smile at her.

She allowed herself to return the smile and then turn her head to smile at Draco directly. He held his out to her while standing up. Accepting it, he helped her to her feet and immediately pulled her into his waiting arms. Her scent waved under his nose and he couldn't help but feel the comfort in it. Smiling, she closed her eyes and listened to the beating of his heart. "Thank you..." She said softly.

"For what?" He asked kissing the top of her head.

"For not giving up on me."

"You never gave up on me...so I wasn't going to give up on you."

Allowing her out of his embrace, they walked out of the infirmary. Surprisingly enough, there wasn't anyone in the halls to stop them from leaving entirely. He wanted her to rest in the comfort of his flat where they could truly be alone to talk.

 **XxXxXx**

Narcissa roamed the long hallway towards her husband's cell in Azkaban. She was worried about Draco. She felt that his attraction to Hermione was unhealthy. She hoped that Lucius would have some words of wisdom to share with her about what to do about the development. The guards on either side of her kept close, not willing to risk an escape this close to his trial. "Thirty minutes." The one on the left spoke before opening the door to the conference room.

Lucius sat across the table and only looked up when the door closed behind his wife. His once beautiful long blonde hair was now a darken shade thanks to the uncleanliness of the facility. It was pulled back into a low ponytail away from his face that seemed to have sunken in due to malnutrition. "Beautiful Narcissa...I miss you so." He said in a rough voice that was unlike his, almost foreign.

"I came because I'm worried about Draco." She said trying hard to ignore his advances.

"What about him?" He asked perking at the mention of his son's name.

"It seems he has taken a liking to Hermione Granger."

"That mudblood from Hogwarts that helped in the defeat of the dark lord?"

All Narcissa could do was nod her head. As much as she didn't like muggle born wizards and witches, she was never a fan of the use of the word 'mudblood'. She had seen her sister carve the word into the girl's skin when being tortured for answers about her vault. "You tell him that he needs to get away from that and find a suitable pure blood." Lucius barked gripping the table with his dirty hands.

"I've done that several times; but he insists on our views being outdated and pointless. I've never seen him so drawn to someone before. It's kind of like how..."

"You and I started out...before the darkness took over."

Lucius let go of the table and looked up at his wife with a solemn look. If he was honest with himself, the only two people that mattered to him was Narcissa and Draco. He had been a coward to follow the dark lord in both wars instead of fighting for the good of magic. Lucius also knew that one of his wife's sisters had taken a muggle born for a husband. There was always that chance that somewhere down the line someone would fight for equality. "What should I do?" Narcissa asked reaching across the table for her husband's delicate hand.

"Make him understand the importance of blood purity. He has to keep the family line pure."

"I will do my best to accomplish this."

Standing up, she looked her husband dead in the eyes. She silently told him that she loved him and then left the room. The two guards that accompanied her on the way down were still waiting for her on the outside. Narcissa replayed what Lucius had told her in her mind over and over again. She still didn't know how she was going to convince Draco that blood purity was necessary to keep the family line intact; but was determined to remind him of the importance.

 **XxXxXx**

Draco opened the door to his flat, allowing Hermione to step inside first. The warmth coming from the entry way was a reminder that she was back in the place that had gave her some fond memories. He walked her bag back to the room he had given her and when he returned she was staring out the large window in the living room looking out at the view of the city. "How do we find how is out to get me?" She asked not bothering to look back in his direction.

"Don't worry about that tonight." He replied closing the gap between them to stand beside her.

"How can I not worry? Whoever is doing this won't stay quiet for too much longer."

"Hermione, look at me."

She turned her head to meet his gaze and found the sheer determination written all over his face. There was so much between them already that just begged to be explored. That is, if his family stayed out of it and if Ron didn't find out either. Ron, despite being married to Lavender, was still protective of her and would never approve of Draco in her life due to the history.

He took her hands and brushed the skin of her knuckles softly with his thumb. "I told you that I promised to keep you safe and that's what I'm going to do. Trust me in the task."

"I do trust you."

"Good, now why don't you get some decent sleep."

She giggled at his demand. He raised a questioning eyebrow at her without saying a word. "Okay." She said stepping passed him in the direction of the hallway before stopping a few steps in. Draco watched her closely wondering what she was doing and when she turned back around to look at him, he knew that answer just by the way she look at him.

Hermione bolted back to him, reaching behind his head to pull him down to meet her lips. There was nothing like the way his skilled lips took hers, diving his tongue through her parted mouth. She held onto him out of desperation. He reached down to pick her up bridal style, while breaking the connection of their mouths. "What are you doing?" She asked licking her lips.

He ignored her question and carried her to the room he had had given her. Gently laying her upon the bed, he leaned down to kiss her lips once more. "Goodnight, Hermione. You need rest, we can continue tomorrow; but tonight you need rest." He said standing back up away from her.

"But..."

"No! Rest now..."

Blinking several times, she comprehended that he was telling her to do. Nodding her head, she slouched back into the bed while never breaking the eye connection with Draco. There was a fear in his eyes that she had never seen before. It made her question as to whether or not he had that same fear all along and she had never seen it before or he had finally let her see it. "Goodnight..." She whispered just as he walked out of the room.


	18. Chapter 18

**Author Note: Got out of work early so I decided to put a new update today instead of my usual Sunday afternoon update. This was a fun little chapter and lighter than the previous ones, so in other words...more romance. Hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: HarryPGinnyW4eva, Guest, BoredRavenvlaw620, Legolas' Girl 31, zoesheppard, LightofEvolution, Hanable-13 and Snowflake Dazzle for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Burst6804, LoSeRviLLe PoPuLaTiOn FiVe, Ivory Shark, bluesnake109 and Marlina.B for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 18:

 **December 19** **th** **, Draco's Flat**

Two days after Hermione returned to living in his small flat, Draco noticed that once again she was pulling away from him. He didn't know if it had anything to do with the upcoming holiday or something else entirely. All he knew was that he wanted to be closer to her. The silence at the table during breakfast was killing him. He wanted so badly for her to speak to him.

"What are your plans for today?" He asked suddenly, not able to keep the silence going for another second longer.

"I've been debating on calling Ginny." She answered softly standing up with her empty plate.

"Then why don't you?"

"I don't want to put her and the baby at risk just by me being there. Everything has been entirely too quiet as of late and I'm just waiting for another strike of some kind."

Draco could understand her reasoning; but it felt wrong for her to be cooped up in a tiny apartment going nowhere. He watched her clean the place so many times that he felt that things would fall apart if she cleaned them again.

His eyes lingered on her frame as she placed the empty plate in the sink to rinse it off. Getting up himself he stood behind her, leaning forward a little to press his chest into her back. The warmth of his breath caressed the shallow of her neck. He moved her hair from around her should so he could place a small chaste kiss to her skin. "You've been cooped up for too long, Hermione. Let me take you somewhere, please."

"Why?"

"I think you know why. I meant what I said at the Christmas Party."

Hermione thought back on the conversation while they danced at the party. The memory brought a slight smile to her lips, unknowingly to him. Flashes of them moving together in perfect sync appeared behind her chestnut eyes.

" _Some people will never accept my kind...just as some will never accept that blood status means nothing. I appreciate you sticking up for me though."_

 _Hermione's feet fell in sync with his after being spun around a second. He pulled her even closer than she was before. His warm breath caressed her bare shoulders. "There was no reason not to. I know your trying to figure things out and your mind is all chaotic; but I want you to know..."_

" _I know. You've done so much for me...that I could never pay back. I wouldn't even know where to start."_

" _I didn't ask you to. There is only one thing I want."_

" _And what's that?"_

" _You..."_

She questioned his reasons for wanting her. His mother may have been nice to her; but she seriously doubted that she wanted her only son to break their blood purity logic. Especially since her husband had just been sentenced to quite a few years in prison. Narcissa was alone for the first time, which left Draco with even more responsibility to withhold at the manor.

Hermione felt his warm lips on the sensitive skin of his neck once again. "What about your family's belief in blood purity?" She asked softly, leaning back into him while reaching back for his hand. Their fingers laced together almost instantly.

"I told you once before that it didn't matter to me anymore. It may matter to them; but it doesn't to me and my opinion is all that matters here."

"Draco..."

He turned her around to face him. Their fingers were still locked together as he leaned in ever so closely to her lips. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute with every torturous second he refrained from kissing her. "Don't...you can't keep fighting against this forever. I know you feel for me to."

"Where did you want to go?" She asked gripping her other hand against the counter behind her.

She didn't want to be the one to cause him pain once again if whoever wanted her dead would attack again; but at the same time, she didn't want to fight against him. She wanted to embrace all the feelings that went along with him. There was no denying the way he made her feel when in close proximity. Why should she deny it?

Every single defense she had put up to keep her heart from ever being reached by another man had crumbled just as the sight of him standing before her in nothing but his sleeping pants. The curve of all the muscles across his chest just made her fingers itch to touch them. "Just come with me." He begged.

"Okay."

"Dress warm."

He slipped away from her, leaving her cold standing in the kitchen with her back against the counter. He didn't disappear down the hall without giving her a wink and a coy smile first. Hermione let out of the breath of air she had been hold far too long. Moving away from the counter, she retreated back to her room. Opening the small closet on the far wall across from the bed, she found a dark blue sweater towards the back. It was perfect for the snowy weather outside.

 **XxXxXx**

Narcissa sat at a large wooden desk in the library. A quill was placed perfectly in her hand as she wrote words on a cream colored parchment. Her mind was scattered all over the place with the knowledge that her husband wasn't coming home anytime soon and her son was very invested in a muggle born witch. She wondered if Draco ever thought of her and how alone she truly was.

Shifting her hand across the soft paper, the delicacy of her writing was in full display.

" _ **Dearest Draco,**_

 _ **I must insist on your presence here for the holiday. There is no one here to make it worth much for me if you don't. Bring Hermione if you must. I know you've been tasked with being her personal guard. No ill-will will come her way. I can assure you of that. There are matters we speak in person about. I look forward to seeing you soon.**_

 _ **Love**_

 _ **Your Mother"**_

She folded the parchment up neatly and whistled for her owl. She placed the item around its talon and sent the beautiful creature out to deliver the message to her son. Dipping the quill back into the ink, she stood up from the desk and took several steps towards the doorway. Pausing a moment, she looked back at the window to see a much different owl flapping its wings outside.

Not recognizing the creature, she moved back across the room to open the window to retrieve whatever it held. A letter was dropped into her hands and then the gray speckled owl took off. The penmanship was unfamiliar to her. Though, it didn't mean that she didn't know who wrote the letter in a manner of speaking.

" _ **Narcissa Malfoy,**_

 _ **It has come to my knowledge that your son has taken a personal interest in the muggle witch known as Hermione Granger. I too have a dislike for the woman, except mine is a little more personal than that. It's a hatred I can't describe; but if you help me get rid of her, we both win.**_

 _ **If you decide to do this. Meet my colleague at the cafe across from the park on Friday morning at 8:30. He will give you instructions on what to do next.**_

 _ **I look forward to hearing from you."**_

Blinking several times, she wondered if that paper in her hand was hallucination. At times like this, she reached out to Lucius for guidance; but this time, she couldn't do that. He was out of reach for a long time. She had to decide what to do on her own and for the first time, she didn't know what to do.

 **XxXxXx**

The bitter cold wind scrapped across Hermione's cheeks like sandpaper. She was confused as to where Draco was leading her to; but never complained about the walk they were taking. His warm hand gripped her tightly, refusing to let go as if she would be snatched away at any moment in time. It made her smile to know how protective he was of her; but she knew that his protection only went so far.

As they walked, the passing people gave glances and looks that made her wonder what was so wrong with a relationship together. The past can be forgiven and she wished that everyone saw the good in Draco like she did. He had been misunderstood for a long time and now that she finally could see the real him, she was captivated.

"We are here." He stated snapping her out of her inner thoughts.

She looked around to see the large frozen pond that dozens of people were ice skating upon. Looking up at him, he smiled at her before pulling her towards the location. "Are you serious?" She asked not really believing that was what he had brought her here to do.

"What? Can't skate?" He replied lightly taunting her.

"Oh yes I can. That's not what I meant."

"I know."

He discreetly aimed his wand at her shoes. With soft words, he changed them to ice skates and repeated the process with his own shoes. They gingerly made their way onto the frozen water. Hermione slid across a few feet before stopping herself. Looking back, Draco was closing to the distance between them.

The snow started to fall from the gray sky, catching in her curls. Standing there in the middle of a frozen pond with snow falling around them, he couldn't help but find Hermione that much more alluring. He leaned in closer fully intending on kissing her unlike earlier in the kitchen. It wasn't until a child fell and slid into Hermione did the moment shatter.

"Are you okay?" She asked sweetly, leaning down to help the little girl up to her feet.

"Thanks...I'm fine."

Hermione smiled at the little girl. Genuinely smiled. Draco was drawn into the interaction and unconsciously smiled at the image. It made him wonder if that's how she'd be as a mother. The little girl's mother thanked Hermione before escorting her daughter away to continue learning to skate elsewhere. "What?" She asked when she saw Draco's expression.

"Nothing. You just seem happy."

"I am..."

"Good."

He grasped her hand and pulled her along. They moved their legs to keep balanced. Hermione noticed the little girl from across the pond looking at her with a mischievous smile. It reminded her of herself when she was little. The thought of having a daughter of her own someday came to surface as well.

Draco felt Hermione pull her hand away and shift to skate backwards so she was looking directly at him. "You do skate well." He commented with a grin of his own.

"Thank you. So why did you really bring me here?" She asked.

"You needed this. To be happy."

She didn't know what to tell him. He had been the rock in her life, solid and unchanging. The question now was if she was ready to accept his feelings and embrace them fully. Was she willing to risk everything for a shot a lifelong happiness? Her thoughts caused her not to think about her current activity. Tripping over her other foot, she fell back. Draco attempted to catch her only for him to be pulled down with her.

He landed on top of her. His knee parted her legs while his hands were placed on either side of her shoulders. They stared at each other a moment, noticing the position they were in before bursting out in laughter. The sound of her laughing was better than anything he had ever heard before.

Draco stood up and then held his hand out to her. She took it and was helped to her feet. They moved together once again and witnessed the lights on the park tree come alive. A truly beautiful sight. She couldn't believe just how wonderful her time with Draco had been. He almost made her forget about all the terrible things that were happening around her.

Stepping off the ice, she turned her skates back into shoes then took several steps towards the tree. Staring into the lights, a flash of the flames that consumed the Christmas party appeared in her head. She could feel Draco's arms wrap around her from behind. The comfort that came with it was soothing, easing the images away.

"I know I've told you this before...but I swear that I will protect you from whoever is doing this." He declared.

"I believe you...and I won't fight you on it anymore."

"Why don't I believe you on that statement. You've fought me on everything so far."

Hermione could hear the laughter in his voice; but chose to ignore it and lean her head back against his chest. Though, he wasn't wrong. She has fought him on everything; but for some reason, she just didn't want to anymore. Maybe it was because she knew that she was falling in love with him without meaning it. "I know; but I can't anymore...because I just want to be near you."

Hearing her words, Draco smiled and then turned her around in his arms. It was the first time she had actually admitted to any kind of feeling towards him out loud. Looking at her a moment, he finally captured her lips right then and there. Her hands rested against his chest as her lips moved with his, circling his tongue with her own.

Her bottom lip was taken in between his before allowing her to break the connection. She noticed that there was something different about that kiss compared to the previous one. That one held a lot more meaning with some desperation attached to it. All the previous ones had been a heat of the moment kind of thing.

"Promise me something." She said breaking the silence.

"What?"

"Stay alive...even if I don't."

"Hermione..."

"Please just promise me."

How could he promise something like that? It was like she almost expected not to come out alive. Taking her hand into his, he laced their fingers together before answering her. "Okay...I promise." He replied tasting the bitterness on the words.

They walked back to his flat without speaking another word; but they didn't need to. The occasional glances in each others direction was more than enough to know that the feelings were still there even after the cryptic promise had been made.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author Note: Update number nineteen, here we go! I was pretty disappointed with the outcome of the last chapter so hopefully this one will be a little more to your liking. I appreciate every single one of you readers. Thank you so much.**

 **WARNING: Lemons ahead, my first one in quite some time.**

 **A special thanks goes to: LightofEvolution, Snowflake Dazzle, Legolas' Girl 31 and BoredRavenvlaw620 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: mizunosora and 1990 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 19:

 **December 19** **th**

Harry sat at the kitchen table staring at the grains of wood blending together. Ginny was busy moving around making dinner for their small family. His mind was definitely not of the meal. It was on the events that had taken place over the last few weeks. He never imagined his best friend to be the target of some elaborate plot to end her life or that she'd be involved with Draco Malfoy. Of course, her relationship with said Auror wasn't the worst part about the whole thing.

There was someone out there trying to take his best friend away. There were hardly any evidence to study and that's what made the situation that much harder to solve. "Harry, would you please just talk to her if your so concerned." Ginny stated without turning from her activity at the stove. Her hands worked quickly to mix whatever was in the bowl.

"I wouldn't even know where to begin. There are so many things I'm worried about." He answered running a hand over the top of his head.

James, their son, crawled into the kitchen and grabbed at the pant leg of his father. Harry paused and smiled down at him before picking him up off the ground. The small babbling coming from the child just made him smile even more. James answered with a smile of his own showing off his two newly formed bottom teeth.

"You know it's okay to worry about her. I'm worried to and not just for the obvious reasons. We've known Draco all through school and he never once was nice to her. I'm not so trusting of him just yet." Ginny said turning to pour the contents of the bowl into the nearby pan.

"I can understand that; but I doubt he'd do anything to hurt her. He's been far too protective of her for it to be all an act. His enemies, however, are a different matter entirely."

"Do you think it's one of his enemies that would do all this harm?"

"I don't see how, because I got the threat before they even started getting close."

No matter how much they talked about the reality the more confusing it got. Neither had any idea who could be the one behind all the death threats aimed in Hermione's direction. Nothing made any sense to them. Silence fell between them as James continued to pull at his father's shirt. He leaned in to kiss his forehead, silently swearing that he would forever protect him from the evils of the world.

Ginny placed the pan into the oven and then moved to sit down across from her husband at the table. Her long red hair was pulled up out of her face. She reached over to grab Harry's free hand. They moved their fingers across each others before looking directly at each other. "Do you think someone saw the future and they are trying to prevent it from happening?" She asked curling her bottom lip inward.

"You mean someone against a union between Draco and Hermione?"

"Yes. I mean blood purity is sacred to the Malfoy family. What if someone is so against it they would do anything to prevent a union from happening?"

Harry thought about it and realized that his wife might be onto something real. If someone had seen events from the future and decided that Hermione was a threat to the blood purity it would most definitely be a reason to want her dead. The question now was, who would be the one to do it? It would mean that he would have to investigate every single person from the Malfoy family and their close friends.

Ginny's fingers tightened around his, giving him much needed comfort. Silence once again crept over them, allowing them to really think about what to do next. Ginny knew that she really needed to convince Hermione to join them for the holiday, maybe asking her to go Christmas shopping was the way to get that to happen.

 **XxXxXxXx**

 **December 19** **th –** **Draco's Flat**

Draco opened the door for Hermione to enter. She slipped passed him and felt the warmth of the apartment surround her. Shrugging her coat off her shoulders, she hung it up on the hook next to the now closed door. Turning to look at him fully, she noticed that his expression had changed drastically since they arrived back. It was then that he noticed his mother's owl sitting on the perch outside the large window in the living room.

Hermione really didn't want to intrude on whatever was written to him. She figured it was just best to take a bath and then head straight to bed. Her fingers brushed against his hand briefly, trying to get his attention. "I'm going to take a bath and then get to bed. You take care whatever you mother needs, okay."

"You don't need to leave me alone for that. She's just going to have to get used to the fact that you are a part of my life." He replied cupping the side of her face.

Her chest heaved with his sudden closeness. The quickening of her heartbeat was so very different than anything she had ever felt before when it came to men. She may have felt the flutters in her stomach once or twice; but never the feeling like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. She never craved someone's touch like she craved his now. There was a lot of new that came with whatever their relationship was.

"It's okay. I don't mind at all." She insisted, leaning up to peck him on the cheek before turning back down the hall to grab a towel. He watched her intently, mentally imagining what she's look like soaking in his tub. The imagine left him feeling aroused and a painful tightening inside his pants. A frustrated sigh escaped his mouth just as he moved into the living room to allow the owl inside.

"So what is it you want mother?" He asked aloud.

Draco took the letter from the owl and moved to sit down on the sofa. Breaking the seal, he pulled out the cream colored parchment. Her handwritting was still as beautiful as ever; but it seemed so disorganized and desperate.

" _ **Dearest Draco,**_

 _ **I must insist on your presence here for the holiday. There is no one here to make it worth much for me if you don't. Bring Hermione if you must. I know you've been tasked with being her personal guard. No ill-will will come her way. I can assure you of that. There are matters we need to speak in person about. I look forward to seeing you soon.**_

 _ **Love**_

 _ **Your Mother"**_

There was one line in his mother's letter that made him think that her words were a complete lie. When she took Hermione in when he had been injured by the Chimaera, he was beginning to think that maybe his mother could be swayed to change her views on blood purity within the family; but he was wrong. The way the letter was written it made it seem as though she was just desperate to have him there and would tolerate Hermione because it was his job to protect her.

Just when he thought he could change her, she had to go visit his father and all his work was gone in an instant. Lucius Malfoy, his father, would never change his mind on blood purity and would no doubt continue to drill it into his mother's mind until she could no longer be changed to believe anything else.

Hermione slid down into the water. Her eyes closed and everything that happened within the last twenty-four hours flashed through her mind like a movie. She was worried for Draco's safety. They were getting closer and for all she knew there was someone watching her at all times, taking all the information in and planning to make the next move, either to take great pleasure in hurting her emotionally or to finally come after her personally.

How was she going to survive this when she had no idea when another attack was going to come? How was she going to protect the people she cared about? Allowing herself to soak for another few more minutes she finally decided it was time to get out. Draining the water, she went for the towel she had brought in with her and wrapped it around herself.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, Draco was walking into the kitchen. Curious as to what he was doing, she padded across the floor still clad in only the bath towel. He tilted his head back, taking the shot of whatever liquor he had decided upon. "That bad?" She asked wondering if the reason he was drinking was because of what was written in the letter from his mother.

"I guess...I had more hopes than I should have." He answered pouring more liquid into the small clear glass.

"You knew your family was never going to accept my muggle blood, which is why you should have let me go a while ago."

Draco immediately turned around to reply with something else; but when he saw her in just the towel his words escaped him. His body refused to take the seriousness of the conversation to heart; but his brain forced it down to allow him to speak. "I'm not going to do that. I've told you already...I don't care about their opinions. I want you."

Her heart skipped a beat and all she could do was close the distance between them. Her wet hair let little droplets of water to roll down her chest only to disappear under the towel. Draco's eyes followed each and every one of them without meaning to; but his body had been suppressed long enough. Her hand gently went to rest on his chest, just over his heart. His steady beating pounded against her palm, soothing her erratic thoughts about what would happen next between them.

In one swift motion, Draco wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her closer. His lips found hers before she could even blink. A soft moan escaped her lips as they moved across his with the same desperation he was giving. Her body was heating up fairly quickly and every single touch his fingers made across her arms were sending pleasurable feelings straight to her core that was beginning to dampen and pulse with life.

Hermione forced herself to forget all the worries for the time being. She wanted to experience all he was willing to give her before they found themselves having to fight for each other. She wanted to drown in him and not think about what tomorrow would bring them. Draco's fingers filtered through her wet hair before moving them to the tuck in the towel. Thinking better of it, he reached down to pick her up. Instinctively, she wrapped her legs around his waist.

The tuck on her towel instantly came undone; but it didn't matter. Their lips were still connected, savoring the taste and desire. Draco walked them back to his bedroom, leaning her back against the soft comforter on the mattress. The towel spread open allowing her body to feel the cold of the air around her.

He shifted away from her lips and glanced down at her exposed body laying beneath him. Her skin was raised with goosebumps from the air on her chilled skin. Taunt nipples just begged for his attention. Normally he would have already devoured a woman already; but Hermione was different. He wanted to take his time with her. Savor every last moment. "Draco..." She whispered.

"Hmm..."

"Something wrong?"

"Not in the slightest. You are perfect."

His head dipped down to place several open mouth kisses to the shallow of her neck before finding his mouth attached to a nipple. She arched a little into him and then he switched sides, giving the other the same attention he had given prior one. Her soft sigh was like instant arousal and he found it getting harder to contain himself to take his time with her.

His tongue swirled around one taunt peak as his hand slid down her stomach to cup the junction between her legs. The shortened curls were soft under his touch. His index finger moved across her clit a few times, teasing a little before driving the digit in her warmth. Her walls clamped down around his finger, making him realize what he was in for once he got to bury himself within her.

Another moan escaped her lips and he took great satisfaction out of it. Removing the single digit from within her, he glanced down at her slitted eyes before licking that same finger. He tasted her for the first time and then knew he was going to need more than just that one taste. Hermione slid up further on the bed, carefully watching him as he removed his shirt. She could see his arousal from the confides of his trousers. It was begging her to come closer. Getting up onto her knees, she crawled back towards him. She carefully pulled down on his sleep pants, letting his erection free for her viewing. Everything about him was perfect.

Hermione reached her hand out, the tips of her fingers brushing across the sensitive skin of her hardened length. Draco sucked in a hiss as she explored him fully. His control was definitely being tested. All he wanted to do was bury himself within her; but at the same time, he wanted her to be comfortable with him.

Her mouth was so close he could feel her warm breath on the head and then she finally took him between her lips. The warmth of her mouth was so inviting. He reached for her hair and held it back out of her face, allowing her to move her mouth across his cock a little better. She was driving him insane with every swirl of her tongue from inside and every stroke of her hand until he couldn't take it anymore.

Draco pulled her mouth away from his throbbing cock and gently pushed back against the bed. He captured her lips, driving his tongue to dance with hers. Her hands held onto his arms tightly just as he pushed himself into her. The first thrust sent her into a completely different world. He shifted her legs to hook around him, giving him a deeper penetration.

"Gods..." Hermione groaned.

Her one word was enough to let know that he was doing something right. Her walls were tight around him and he knew that he wasn't going to last long, which was fine because it seemed she wasn't going to either. He continued to pump into her, while leaving open mouth kisses all over her body in the places he could reach.

While still joined together, he pulled her up to sit upright with her legs wrapped around his waist. She lifted her hips up and then down, milking the friction between them. Draco looked into her eyes, wanting to see the pleasure on her face.

"Keep looking at me. I want to see you unravel." He groaned.

Without another word, she cried out his name and dug her nails into his shoulders. He bucked his pelvis against her just as her walls tightened even more. Her name rolled off his tongue as he spilled every last drop into her. Panting and sweat covered they collapsed back against the bed. Her head snuggled into the pillow before opening her eyes to gaze upon him. "I have no words to describe what just happened." She said.

"I do." He replied taking her hand into his.

"What's that?"

"Amazing."

She giggled as she slid over closer to him. He reached down to pull the blankets up around them. His lips found her forehead. "Goodnight, princess." He whispered. Hermione felt his arm drape over her waist, protectively holding onto her and all she could do was smile and soak up all the emotion that came along with everything that happened between them.

 **XxXxXxXx**

Narcissa lay awake in her bed alone. That letter was still fresh on her mind and no matter what she told herself, she still had no idea what to do. Could she really help kill Hermione Granger and risk her only son hating her for the rest of her life? The darkness surrounded her, while it used to be comforting to her...it wasn't this time. It was torture. She wished Lucius was there to give her guidance. She only had a day to decide on the matter.

Did she meet the colleague at the cafe or did she let everything go and pray that Hermione and Draco weren't anything serious? Was she willing to risk that? "Oh Lucius, what do I do?" She asked aloud rolling onto her side to face the window with the moon shining through. A single tear rolled down her cheek just as she closed her eyes, forcing herself to sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author Note: I apologize that it has taken me a while to get this chapter up. I figured that I better get it up soon before my birthday, which is tomorrow, cause I'm going away to celebrate. Onto the next chapter, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Trodd, RoPete, LiPgLoSs aNd LeTdOwN, Rosie1967, tmiller, hisilentreader and crookshanks the kitty for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Guest, Legolas' Girl 31, LightofEvolution, Hanable-13, HarryPGinnyW4eva, Snowflake Dazzle and zoesheppard for the wonderful reviews.**

 **WARNING: LEMONS**

Chapter 20:

 **December 20** **th**

Hermione's eyes cracked open. A chill crept across her bare shoulder. Sinking back into the covers further, she felt a hand slide across her stomach and pull her back. A set of warm lips pressed a tender kiss to her back. It was then that she remember exactly what happened between Draco and her and why she was completely naked in his bed. "You awake?" He mumbled softly, the breath of his words sparked warmth on her chilled skin.

"Partly..." She answered hugging the pillow closer, not really wanting to be awake just yet.

"I surprised you slept in here the whole night. I half expected you to leave and go back to your room."

A slight smile appeared on her face at the fact that even thought she would do that; but then she rolled over to meet him face to face. His hand shifted from her stomach to her back as she turned. His subtle blue-gray eyes were filled a passion she had never seen in them before. She couldn't help but wonder if it was because of her involvement with him or something else entirely.

She wasn't going to lie and say that what happened was a mistake, because it wasn't; but her fear for his safety was continuing to press into the near reaches of her mind. The fact that it had been quiet since the attack at the Christmas party worried her. Whoever was behind it wasn't going to stay quiet forever. Something was going to happen and soon, she could feel it.

Draco could see the swirl of emotion in her eyes. The fear was starting to return to the chestnut color of her beautiful orbs. Without saying a word, he pulled her even closer to his chest and pressed his lips onto her forehead. "Don't fear it. I'm not going anywhere." He spoke softly against her cheek. She knew there was truth to what he spoke; but it really didn't ease her worry any.

"Draco..."

"Hmm..."

"Thank you...for everything."

He smiled before capturing her lips with his own. His hand cupped the side of her face within seconds, tangling his fingers in her already messy hair. A slight moan escaped her parted lips as his length pressed against her abdomen. It wasn't too much of a shock to feel that he was hard, considering she was completely naked next to him.

Draco rolled her on top of him. Her legs spread across his cock; but not entering and her perfect breasts enjoyable in his eye sight. Sliding his hand over her flat stomach and dipped between her legs to find her warmth. She was wet much to his enjoyment. The tip of his finger circled her clit several times earning himself an even louder moan from her lips.

"You like that?" He questioned with a knowingly smirk.

Pulling his finger away, he eased her down upon his cock. Her walls clamped down on him, making him hiss in pleasure. She threw her head back with a cry of her own. Hermione moved her hips, leaning forward and then back down again. Draco held onto her hips tightly, allowing her to move just how she wanted to. It felt amazing no matter how she moved on his aching length.

She couldn't think straight, every single movement made was instant pleasurable shocks through her. There wasn't just lust in his eyes and something told her it was more than that. His declaration that he was going to protect her from whoever wanted her dead, made her think that maybe her believe there were feelings other than just your traditional caring emotions.

"Hermione..." He called out.

"Come with me..." She whispered in his ear, raising her hips up once more and then quickly sank back down on him.

He growled and gripped her hips even tighter, then bucked his own hips up quickly. His finger returned to her clit, creating more friction on her sensitive nub. Her nails dug into the skin of his chest. Pumping harder into tightness, he lost himself in her warmth and felt the snap of his orgasm. Fighting through, he watched her fall into her climax and it was such a beautiful sight to him.

Hermione rolled off him and lay back on the pillow she had slept upon. The realization that she had sex twice in the last twelve hours with Draco Malfoy was crashing down upon her and she loved every thought of it. He had been someone that hadn't betrayed her on any level. Sure, they never got along in school; but she also hadn't been the nicest either; plus he had to mature into thinking that muggle born witches weren't the enemy.

"I don't think I can let you go, Hermione..." Draco said suddenly.

"Then don't." She replied rolling onto her side to face him.

 **Friday, December 21** **st**

Narcissa found herself walking into the cafe set to meet with the colleague of the mystery person out to rid the world of Hermione Granger. The knot in her stomach was tightening even more. It was feeling more wrong with every step she took towards the meeting place. She sat down in a chair at a table in the farthest corner of the building.

The sever approached her with a friendly smile, recognizing her almost instantly. "You're usual, Mrs. Malfoy?" He asked. She nodded and thanked him for remembering exactly what she wanted to drink. It wasn't long that he brought her the warm cup of tea with a small cup of cinnamon.

"I must say that I didn't expect you to show up." A male voice entered her ears, making the hairs on the back of her neck to stand at attention.

"So you are the colleague the letter spoke of?"

"I am."

He sat down in the chair across from her. She noticed his bright blue eyes and the defined features that resembled a statue. Far too perfect to be real. If her memory was correct, he was the American transfer Auror that her son absolutely detested. "So what is it you want from me?" Narcissa asked taking a sip from her tea cup.

"I understand that Hermione is close with your son, perhaps a little too close for your liking. Am I wrong?"

"My son is odd enough to make his own decisions. I may not agree with some of them; but that's all part of being a parent. Children need to learn from their mistakes."

Stewart looked unimpressed by the older woman's statement. He was aware of her heritage and who she had been during the war, so he knew that he couldn't push too many buttons without consequences. It did annoy him that she didn't seem bothered by her son's closeness with Hermione. He wondered if her views on the muggle-borns had changed since the war or since her husband's incarceration in Azkaban.

"Fair enough. However, I seriously doubt you want a union to happen between them. That would taint the pure bloodline you've established. Would it not?" He asked trying to take a different approach on the subject.

"What exactly are you trying to get at Mister Lyons? Because I am fully aware of what a coupling between Draco and Hermione would mean for our line as Malfoy's." Narcissa snapped, keeping her hands on the table so as not to hold her wand between her fingers.

He could see the anger flare in her eyes and realized that he had pushed one of the those buttons that would get himself killed if he wasn't careful. Watching her take another delicate sip from her cup, he calmed his thoughts before opening his mouth to speak again. "The reason that letter was sent to you was because we thought you'd be willing to help us rid the world of Hermione Granger for the reasons I just mentioned. I will pass the message to her that you weren't interested in what I had to say." Stewart stated standing up from the chair.

Narcissa caught the word 'her' almost instantly. So the person behind all of the chaos was a woman. Now she was interested. "Please sit back down, Mister Lyons we have much to discuss." She said keeping her emotions from being able to be read by him or anyone else that would be present in the room. There was so much she needed to learn.

 **December 21** **st** **, Draco's Flat**

Hermione finished the last dish in the sink and sat them out to air dry. Wiping her hands on the nearby towel, she turned to look into the living room and noticed it needed a good dusting. She moved to retrieve the proper tools for the job when there was a loud knock at the door. Knowing that Draco wasn't there, she moved across the room to open the door to find Harry and Ron behind it. The fact that Ron was with him surprised her. She hadn't seen him in quite some time. Though, not much had changed about him, he still looked pretty much the same.

"Harry...Ron...what a surprise..." She greeted stepping aside to allow them inside.

"Ron insisted on checking on you today." Harry answered wrapping his arms around his best friend tightly.

"I'm okay, really." She protested.

"You're living with Malfoy...you are not okay." Ron countered.

She expected as much from him. He wasn't as supportive as Harry was about Draco's change in attitude. He believed that a person couldn't change how they were raised to be. Rolling her eyes at the comment, she backed up to sit down at the table. "Listen Ron, you may not agree with everything; but he has been there for me through this entire ordeal. He's never left me alone for more than a couple hours."

"I know...it just frustrates me that it has to be him to be your personal guard."

"It's a little more than just that, Ron."

Harry eyed her curiously and then realized what she meant by the comment. Ron still looked confused, which wasn't all that surprising. "Has it been made official?" Harry asked with a smile in his voice.

"What do you mean official?" Ron asked loudly.

The door opened suddenly just as the words were spoken aloud. Hermione's eyes came in contact with Draco's and then the smile appeared on her face. Ron turned around to see the man in question in the flesh. His eyes narrowed and crossed his arms over his chest, annoyed that the conversation got interrupted. "He means us. Have we made ourselves officially exclusive to each other? Is that what you want to know, Potter?" Draco asked hanging his coat on the hook by the door.

"I suppose I do." Harry replied.

"Surely that isn't even plausible!" Ron shouted.

"It is and it definitely happened, Weasley." Draco answered with a smug look upon his face.

The red-head turned back to look at his best friend for confirmation, still hopeful that it was lie; but when she nodded her head. The hope flew away. Draco wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulders. Ron couldn't wrap his mind around the idea of them being together. He walked away and out the door. "Ron, please." Hermione pleaded.

"Give him some time and let me talk to him." Harry suggested.

"I knew he would be upset; but I didn't think he'd act like that." She admitted.

"It'll be okay. I'll see you at Christmas dinner, right?"

"Yeah she will." Draco said.

Hermione looked at him confused. Harry hugged her once more before leaving to chase down Ron. When they were alone, Draco moved to the living room to find the latest letter from his mother. "Why did you accept that for me?" She asked.

"I don't trust my mother, so I refuse to take you with me."

"I don't understand."

He handed her the letter. The words popped off the page at her. Now she understood why Draco wasn't entirely trusting of his mother's intentions. He was doing what was best to keep her safe and she loved that about him. "Okay...what about you though. I want to spend Christmas with you." She countered.

"You will. It just won't be the entire day. I want to keep you safe and you not going with me is the best way to do that. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize for that. I appreciate everything you do for me."

Draco touched her cheek lightly with his fingertips. He wanted to tell her the truth about what he was feeling; but he didn't want to scare her away. They hadn't been close for that long; but he knew that he was in love with her and didn't want to be with anyone else but her. Perhaps he had been in love with her in all along and never knew it until now.

Hermione smiled, pushing into his touch more. She never imagined herself craving someone's touch like she craved his. The thought that he was her's made her heart start to pound against her chest. Maybe she was in love; but she had no idea how to express that so early in the game. So she decided to keep her mouth shut on the emotion and enjoy the moments as they came.


	21. Chapter 21

**Author Note: I'm totally thrilled with how well this story is going. I'm actually surprising myself with it. I'm excited so much I got another chapter ready for all of you fairly quickly. Enjoy and let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: 4fanci, Syd-Shane22, kaiya86, Dreamseemer77, hermionemalfoy071, carmille and Random person in wonderland for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Legolas' Girl 31, Syd-Shane22, moraine9, SB-Potterhead Budgie Lover, Snowflake Dazzle, LightofEvolution and HarryPGinnyW4eva for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 21:

 **December 22** **nd** **, Ron and Lavender's Home**

Ron paced across the kitchen floor, not really meeting his wife's concerned eyes. She was wondering what had gotten into her husband to behave so irrational; but then thought it must have something to do with Hermione. Even now, the mentioning of her name always sent him to be indifferent toward her. She just wished that he would open up to her about what happened between them. "Do you want to tell me what happened yesterday?" She asked sitting her newly baked pie onto the table.

The smell of apple waved under his nose making his mouth salivate in anticipation of the immense flavor he knew would no doubt be in every bite. He stopped pacing to look at her. Ever since finding out that Hermione was involved with Draco Malfoy he had seen nothing but red. He didn't know if it was because he was still protective of her, or if his feelings for her were still there even after the years that passed by. He loved Lavender, there was no questioning that; but Hermione had always been a big part of him.

"She is with that slimy no good son-of-ferret. You should have seen it...she let him touch her."

"Are we speaking of Hermione?"

"Yes..."

She thought something like that would happen someday. Their rivalry was well-known in Hogwarts; but to her, it just seemed like a relationship in the making. It didn't surprise her as much as it did Ron. Lavender walked around the table to stand before her husband. Placing a gentle hand on his face, his expression softened to the point he wrapped her into his arms and placed a firm passionate kiss to her lips. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, because she is your best friend and you care deeply for her; but...Draco really isn't the same person he once was. The war changed him...it changed all of us."

"It really isn't him I'm worried about. I just know his family will never treat her like an equal and I don't want her to subject herself to that treatment just for the sake of pleasing him." Ron answered holding onto Lavender tighter.

"I think he'd stick up for her rights. Please don't worry so much, things will happen as they are meant to."

Ron wondered what he did to deserve such a sweet thoughtful woman in his life. Lavender was everything he wasn't and then some. She kissed the corner of his mouth before moving to slide the knife into the warm pie. He hoped that Draco would be decent enough to stand up for Hermione if someone in his family spoke ill of her. Clenching his hand into a tight fist under the table, he watched Lavender slide a plate in his direction with a piece of the pie upon it. "Thank you, it smells wonderful." He complimented.

"Thank you. Enjoy it, because it's the last pie I'll be making for a while."

He looked up almost instantly, confused as to why she would make the remark and then he saw the disgusted look upon her face. There was something off about her and worry overtook the confusion. "What do you mean?" He asked sitting his fork down a moment to give her his full attention.

"I can't stand the smell of it anymore. It won't be forever; but at least for the next couple of months anyway." She answered with a smile on her face.

Ron titled his head to the side not quite grasping what she was telling him and then he caught her hand absentmindedly going to her abdomen. It hit him like a ton of bricks and in that moment words left him. "Are you telling me that... are going to be parents?" He asked releasing his clenched hand from under the table.

"I was going to wait until Christmas to tell you; but I figured now was as good as any."

He stood up from the chair and came close to her. In a matter of seconds, he reached around her upper body and lifted her up briefly, spinning her around. His laugh was perfect and exactly what she was hoping to hear. Finding out about the baby had been a blessing and it solidified them as being a true family.

 **December 22** **nd** **, Draco's Flat**

Hermione pulled her legs under her bum as she held a book in her hands. It had been so long since she read a good book. Draco was out and about preparing for the holiday with his mother. She decided to pass on the visitation in public and settled for reading by the fire. He had made sure to build the fire before leaving her alone in the apartment. The warmth caressed her arms and it made her smile to think about how much everything had changed between.

The words imbedded in her mind as she read. She remembered them being read to her as a child from her mother's mouth. 'The Wonderful Wizard of Oz' was a classic and one she loved, even after growing up. She hoped that someday she'd be able to read the words to her child and he or she would appreciate the script as much as she did.

"A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others."

She never quite grasped the words while still a child; but now she understood them a little more. You could love as much as you want, but if you can't get others to love you it's pointless. That's why being nice to everyone regardless if they are in return goes a long way. Draco was one such case. He may have never been nice to her school; however, when everything was said and done, she never blamed him and was kind to him in the start of their journey in The Ministry of Magic.

The sound of the lock clicking alerting her to his presence. The door opened and he stepped through the threshold carrying a small bag in his hand. He placed it on the counter and shrugged out of his coat to hang it up. "How was the trip?" Hermione asked sitting her book down on the table beside her.

"As good as it could be. My mother is persistent as always." He answered turning around to face her with a smile.

"She hates the thought of us, doesn't she?"

"She'll warm up to it."

Hermione wasn't so sure of that. Draco walked into the living room and picked up the book she had been reading. He recognized the title, though he never read the material himself. It was a muggle book and he usually stayed away from such things. Of course, he never thought the woman he was in love with would be muggle-born. So maybe, he should try to learn more about their ways. "Have you ever read it?" She asked softly, snapping out of his own thoughts.

"No..."

"It's really good."

"Maybe someday when our lives aren't so chaotic."

She frowned at this. No one knew when things would end or even if she would survive when it was all said and done. Draco noticed her change in mood fairly quickly and knew that he probably shouldn't have said what he had. All that did was get her thinking about the threats and about all the people that lost their lives already. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up." He apologized.

"It's fine. It is what it is, Draco." She replied shifting to put her feet onto the carpet below.

He watched her get up and walk towards the large window that over-looked the city. London was beautiful, no question about that. It was even more beautiful now that it was the holiday season. Lights sparkled everywhere and the stars were bright in the sky added more life to the already lively city.

Hermione's long curls hung loose over her shoulders, hiding the curve of her breasts from his view. She was absolutely addicting to him. He knew that he was never going to be able to let her go for any reason, not even if his family demanded it. He mentally vowed that he would keep her safe; but at the far reaches of his mind, he had doubts. Was he really going to be able to do that? So far, everything that's happened has been well thought out.

Draco closed the distance between them and gently took her hands into his. His thumb brushed across her knuckles before pulling her to walk with him. They moved to the area rug in front of the fireplace. She mentally questioned as to what he was doing. He sat down staring at the flames as she followed to sit down next to him.

The fire was warm on her face and embers were burning ever so brightly beneath it all. She wondered if this was his way of being romantic. Forcing all the negative down, she gave in and allowed herself to lean her head on his shoulder. "I'm not very good at this..." He mumbled softly.

"Good at what?"

"Being romantic. I'm used to just seducing to get what I want."

"I think you're doing just fine. I'm not exactly a professional either. I've been with two people my entire life and you know how those turned out."

Draco had always assumed that she kept her romantic life a secret from the Ministry and as it turned it out the only two people she's been involved with were the two people he knew of. That seriously surprised him. How could anyone of that intelligence and beauty be so utterly alone? The war had changed everyone and maybe it changed her more than he originally thought. "I find that hard to believe. How did no one notice your intelligence?" He asked looking down at her as she slid down to rest her head on his lap.

Hermione looked up at him, "The problem was never with my intelligence or my looks. The problem was always with me. I've been damaged since the war and everyone knew it, so they just stayed away." She answered with honesty, or at least as much as she could. Draco reached down to touch the forearm where the brand his aunt had carved into her flesh lay.

"This will never define you, Hermione. I refuse to let you continue be tormented by this. The war is over and we are different people now. Dwelling on the past will only hurt you in the end. I've had to learn that the hard way."

Reaching for his wand on the floor, he held it out aiming at the small bag on the counter. "Accio!" He called to summon the item to his hand. Hermione sat up instantly, wondering what was inside. A grin appeared on his face when he noticed her curious gaze. Knowing what was inside and the fact he had bought it for her made his insides twist and tighten. He was nervous and knew that he shouldn't be. He was a Malfoy for Merlin's sake; but everything about Hermione Granger changed the game entirely.

"Since I'm not going to see you on Christmas, I figured I'd give this to you now." He said handing the bag to her.

"I thought we were spending a little time together."

"Unfortunately, no. My mother wants me there tomorrow. So I hope that you'll be able to go to Potter's tomorrow as well."

Hermione was disappointed. Although, it was probably better this way. Draco could see his mother and try to smooth things over with her about the idea of them being an official couple. Trying to smile at him, she looked down at the bag in her hand. Pulling the tie from the handles, it fell open to reveal a rectangular maroon color velvet box.

Lifting the box up, Hermione slid the lid up only to have her breath taken away. In the box lay silver bracelet with two charms dangling from chain. One was an open book and the other was that of a dragon with a single emerald colored eye. "Oh my..." She whispered still utterly dumbfounded by his gift.

"Do you like it?" He asked hopeful, considering he never bought any woman a piece of jewelry before other than his mother of course.

"I love it."

He reached for the box and released the bracelet from its confines. She felt his fingers touch the inside of his wrist, sending an intimate shiver down her spine. Draco clasped the bracelet around her wrist before brushing his thumb across the palm of her hand. "I know what the book means; but what does the dragon mean?" She asked questioningly.

"It's my patronus."

"I thought you never learned it, because it wasn't all that important to you."

"I eventually learned it and a dragon is what it became."

Her finger traced across the details of the small charm dangling from her wrist. The book symbolized her and her intelligence, while the dragon symbolized him and his strength to change. Immediately getting to her knees, she leaned in to capture his lips with hers. There was desperation in the way her lips moved. It was like she didn't want to leave the moment, not that he blamed her. He really didn't either.

The sound of soft knocking interrupted the moment. Hermione smiled against his lips as they parted. He stood up to walk toward the door. He never imagined to see what was waiting there. He was silent a few moments and it caused Hermione to stand up just in time to hear one word roll off his tongue.

"Pansy..."

 **End Note: Sorry for the cliffhanger; but it builds for the next chapter and the events coming. There are so many things coming up soon.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Author Note: I apologize for the long delay in update and the short nature of it. We are getting down the last few chapters. I hope you enjoy this new chapter, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Jestro42, Tikkall, inv2, Amiam, CaptainJerkou, calmme, Angie710, Eyessettokill92, Andthetonygoesto, cheeyene, chinhp, lilracer35, IPA Lady, ele2056, xiomara209 and DracoxLioness for becoming followers.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Guest, moraine9, LightofEvolution, Legolas' Girl 31, Snowflake Dazzle, HarryPGinnyW4eva and IPA Lady for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 22:

Draco stood baffled by Pansy's arrival, except he could clearly see why. The bruises forming on her face and the crimson blood that was caked to her lip and hands were a sure indication that something had happened to her. The history they shared was more than enough reason to not send her away for ruining the moment with Hermione.

He could feel Hermione standing behind him. The warmth of her breath brushed across his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. Pansy's eyes never moved from his, ignoring the woman behind him. "Come inside, Pansy." He said standing aside to allow his former lover entrance to his home.

"I'll get towels to clean her up." Hermione stated turning to walk back down the hall.

Once she was out of side, Draco pulled Pansy's coat off her shoulders and draped it over the counter. His fingers brushed lightly against her hand to examine the damage a little more closely. "What happened?" He asked softly.

"I didn't see who it was. All I know was that I was attacked from behind. I was going to Stewart's place when I felt the blow to the back of my head. Whoever it was wore a black mask."

"Did you piss anyone off lately?"

"For once...no. Or least not that I know of..."

Hermione returned with a couple towels and the first aid kit from the bathroom. She sat the items on the counter and opened the box to retrieve the bottle of antiseptic to clean the wounds. Normally, she'd just doing some minor healing spell; but since it was Pansy, she wanted to make her feel a little pain while cleaning up the mess. "Can't you just do some magic instead of doing that." Pansy snapped when Hermione moved to put the open bottle to the cloth.

"I want to make sure it's properly cleaned before I do that. Magic isn't always a guarantee. I'm sorry my muggle heritage is such a bother to you." Hermione snapped back placing the wet cloth on the open wounds on Pansy's hand.

She sucked in a hiss of pain before turning her head to look at Draco, who had a slight grin on his face while Hermione tended to the treatment. He could see how much he cared for the muggle before her. It amazed her how times changed, because he could remember how much he hated muggles and muggle born magic users.

She also could remember a lot of their moments in school, thinking that they would end up together forever. Such a naive notion to believe. He was the heir to the Malfoy estate and she was just low grade witch that wanted to make the magical world better with pure blood supremacy. She knew now that it was not a feasible thing to achieve.

"Is there anything you do remember?" Draco asked breaking the awkward silence.

"Just that the person smelled of sandalwood, which isn't something all that common." Pansy answered softly, trying to ignore the burning sensation on the open wounds of her hands.

Hermione pulled the cloth away and turned back towards the open box on the counter. Pansy moved to sit down in one of the kitchen chairs. Her head pounded and her vision was blurry. Draco ran a hand through his blonde locks trying to figure out if this was some new scheme she had come up with for him to take her back. It was something he wouldn't put it passed her to try.

He pulled at Hermione's arm gently, pulling her back to him. Her eyes searched his, silently trying to figure out what he was telling her wordlessly. "Step outside with me." He stated moving around her to head for the front door. It didn't take her long to follow, leaving Pansy sitting in the chair alone.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Something feels off about this..."

"Those wounds aren't a glamour. There was too much pain on her face for them to be fake."

"I believed she was behind most of what has been happening to you, now she's been attacked. If it isn't her, then who the fuck is it?"

Hermione could see the struggle on his face. She reached out to cup the side of his face, the charms dangling from her bracelet directly in his eyesight. "We will figure it out. Until then, we have a scared woman asking for help. Now, you how I feel about her; but it's not in my nature to not help someone who looks like she does."

"I know. It's one of the things I love about you."

She smiled and then leaned in to press her lips upon his briefly. Opening the door, Pansy looked up from the table to make slight eye contact with her rival. "Have you figured out what you plan to do with me?" Pansy asked with a sarcastic tone to her voice that just downright annoyed Hermione.

"As much as I don't like you, I'm not going to 'not' help you when you look so bloody awful."

"Well good, then we understand each other. I don't like you either."

Draco let out a low chuckle. He found amusement in their arguments. The fact that Hermione had finally broken out of her shell and had decided that running wasn't going to do any good, he could finally stake a claim to her heart and perhaps one day, keep her forever.

 **XxXxXxXx**

Stewart knelt down in the middle of the ally between his home and the next. Crimson colored fluid was littered on the ground. The fact that Pansy was late was so unlike her. She always arrived early. The concern tugged at his stomach. Something was definitely wrong, he could feel it. Was he betrayed by the one person he had put his full trust into? "Damnit!" He softly cursed.

He clenched his hands into tight fists at his sides. All he wanted to do was run his fingers through her long black silky hair and kiss her full lips until they were puffy and red. A thought crossed his mind; but he really didn't want to ask for his help. The rich boy was the reason the love of his life was so broken. Though it seemed he really didn't have a choice. Draco Malfoy's flat wasn't too far from where he lived.

"You better not be a dick about this." Stewart stated starting to walk towards the building he dreaded arriving to.

 **XxXxXxXx**

"Why don't you rest on the sofa." Hermione suggested.

Pansy stood up from the chair and moved out around Hermione to sit down on the said piece of furniture. Hermione rolled her eyes at the lack of respect the woman displayed towards her hospitality. Though she wondered if that was how she behaved when she was scared, because she could see the fear in her eyes. "You must really be enjoying this..." Pansy stated leaning her head on the pillow beside her.

"I don't enjoy seeing others in pain."

Draco moved to walk down the hall to gather a blanket. Hermione shifted to sit down on the floor to lean her back against the couch. There was silence between the two women for a moment before Pansy finally swallowed her pride to open her mouth and speak what's been on the tip of her tongue since she got to the flat. "He loves you."

He heard the words right when he returned to the living room and paused his movement any further to listen to what else she would say. "Why do you say that?" Hermione asked curiously. She crossed her hands together in front of her, trying not to smile at the words.

"I think he's loved you for quite some time, even before we graduated from Hogwarts. There has always been something about you he's found fascinating. He put the anger and derogatory names as a front to hide it. Perhaps his relationship with me was also a front for that as well."

"I don't think so. I think he truly cared for you; but time changes people. Me included..."

"Something we agree on..."

Draco pressed forward sitting the blanket on the arm of the couch just as Hermione stood up from the floor to look down at the half asleep Pansy. She moved to grab the blanket and drape it over her chilled body. Pansy's eyes closed fully and it didn't take long to hear her deep breaths of slumber. Hermione moved around the couch to stand before Draco, her bottom lip curled in under her top teeth. "Hermione..."

"Yeah..."

"She was right in what she said…."

Hermione raised a questioning eyebrow. She wondered if he had heard what they were talking about. Was what Pansy said about him the truth? Has he really been in love with her for that long? If that was the case, what could she really tell him in return? "What do you mean?" She asked.

"You both were right. I did care a great deal for her; but as she said….there was always something about you that drew me in."

"Draco…."

"I do love you, whether you believe that or not is up to you."

She took another step closer and rested her hand on his chest right under his heart, then she lifted her head up to meet his gaze. Those blue-gray eyes captured her almost instantly. His fingers laced through hers, brushed the pad of his thumb across the back of her hand. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she finally decided it was time to admit it herself aloud not just in her own mind. "I believe you….because...I love you to."

Without another word spoken, he pulled her even closer so he could capture her lips with his own. Melting with hers. The charms on her bracelet clanged against each other as her hands moved up his chest to wrap around his neck. Parting their lips only for a few seconds, they got a breath to continue until a loud knocking on the front door was heard.

Groaning out of annoyance, Draco pulled reluctantly away from Hermione to get the door before the person woke up Pansy on the couch. When he opened the door, Stewart stood before him with a concerned look upon his face. Draco stood dumbfounded by the American Auror, wondering exactly why he would even show himself in his private place of residence.

"What the hell do you want?" Draco snapped.

"Have you seen Pansy?" Stewart asked.

In that moment, Draco understood. Pansy had said she was heading over to his house when she was attacked. It would make sense for him to wonder what happened to her. No words were needed, he stepped aside to allow the American in to see Pansy asleep on the couch. Her wounds were bandaged as best as Hermione could manage without medical background. "What happened to her?" He asked.

"We don't know. She came here like this. I did what I could for her." Hermione answered.

"Damnit!" Stewart cursed.

"Do you know something that we don't?" Draco asked.

The pure blue of Stewart's eyes swirled with several emotions that only some Hermione could read. She also could tell there was something the man wasn't saying. Perhaps whoever wanted her dead was connected to Pansy's attack as well. "You might want to sit down. There is a lot to speak of and most of it you aren't going to want to believe."


	23. Chapter 23

**Author Note: I really do apologize for the long delay in these chapters coming out. I've seriously been working so much. Thanks to all of you that have stuck with me this far. Here is the next update, though it's pretty short compared to previous updates. Let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: edwardlovinmom, TeamDramonie, aznlittlelil, matkatry, LanafanJP, tals959, Chapou69, Sloveemenett, 3catsdog, Grahamgirl193, raneydhr and Fyr3Maiden23 for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Cat130, Legolas' Girl 31, Guest, moraine9, zoesheppard, IGOTEAMEDWARD, matkatry, Snowflake Dazzle, HarryPGinny4eva and Grahamgirl93 for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 23:

Draco stared at the American Auror with such distrust, Hermione elbowed him gently in the ribs to prevent a blacklash. She knew that there was something going on inside his mind that she wished she could calm. He looked down at her and saw the pleading look upon her face. Taking a deep breath in, he moved to sit down at the kitchen table. "Does this have to do with my mother?" He asked crossing his hands together in front of him.

"You knew?" Stewart asked.

"I noticed something was different with her over the last couple of days. Pretty much right when my father got sentenced." Draco answered refusing to meet Hermione's eyes.

"That's when the offer was given to her. I've never actually met the person behind the threats on Miss Granger; but I was told that it was a woman. However, I feel that is a lie."

Hermione curled her bottom lip inward and then shifted her gaze to the sleeping Pansy on the sofa. Little did either one of these people know that they were being used for a selfish purpose. She understood Pansy's jealousy. She still loved Draco and he had ended the relationship unwilling on her part. "You are probably right about that." Draco said softly reaching for Hermione's hand unconsciously.

She twined her fingers through his, feeling the comfort surging through each of them. Stewart looked across the room to see Pansy pull her legs up closer to her chest. He knew that her condition was his fault. Clenching his hands into fists, he closed his eyes recalling the events that lead to the very moment he realized that he truly had made a huge mistake in joining a cause that was pointless.

 _He stood in the living area of his small flat with a letter in hand. An owl had pecked at the window alerting him to news from the unknown leader of a cause he was fighting for. Starting with the elimination of muggle-born Hermione Granger._

" _Mr. Lyons,_

 _It's come to my knowledge that you have grown quite close to Pansy Parkinson. That's fine by all rights; however, if you fail to accomplish your task, she will suffer the consequences of your failure. You must eliminate Hermione Granger before Christmas. I don't want her reuniting with Harry Potter. She will be unreachable then._

 _Do Not Fail."_

 _He curled the piece of parchment in his hand. The anger swirled through him, realizing it was wrong of him to trust someone he knew nothing about, nor seen with his own eyes. The Chimera attack at the Ministry Christmas party was sent by the unknown specter and everyone in the Ministry blamed him because of his open disdain for the former Gryffindor Princess._

 _He was so very wrong to think that things could be different under leadership of someone that never showed their face to anyone._

Returning to reality that was in front of him, Stewart knew that he had failed in eliminating Hermione. He had never made the attempt. He was hoping that Narcissa would have done it for him. Of course that hadn't been the case. "It's my fault she's like this…." He admitted.

"How is it your fault?" Hermione asked curiously.

"I failed to kill you. He, she...whoever it behind it all punished me for not completing my task. I was hoping that Narcissa would have taken care of it to exempt me; but she's done nothing. Plus side though, this cause is utterly pointless. There will never be a pure blood dominance in this world today."

Hermione cringed at the thought that Draco's mother would try and kill her just to prevent her son from pairing with a non-pure blood witch. Stewart started to walk into the living room and knelt down on the floor in front of the sleeping Pansy. He reached out to stroke her cheek gently. She took a deep breath at the second his finger touched her skin. "My mother does what she wants. Though I have no doubt she will try to ruin my relationship with Hermione, simply because she is not pure blood."

"Why do you fight against it then if you know your family will do everything they can to ruin your happiness?" Stewart asked tucking a stray chunk of hair behind Pansy's ear.

Draco pulled Hermione closer to him and stood up from the chair. He stared into her chestnut eyes and placed his lips upon her forehead chastely. "She is everything to me. Changed me for the better and I can't imagine being without her. She has fought for everyone's freedom during the war and that should have been enough to change people's views of pure blood supremacy."

"Draco..." Hermione whispered, trying not to act on the swell in her chest upon hearing his words.

"He's right..." Pansy said weakly, stirring from her slumber.

"Pansy..." Stewart whispered.

She opened her eyes to meet his gaze, giving him a slight smile to reassure him that she was fine. He helped her to a siting position and moved to sit down next to her on the sofa, pulling her legs onto his lap. "Stewart, this isn't right anymore. I finally understand that and accept it. Hermione is not our enemy."

"Thank you..." Hermione answered wrapping her arms around Draco's torso.

"So who is the mastermind of all this?" Stewart asked interrupting the awkwardness of the conversation.

Everyone was quiet for a few moments, thinking of the possibilities. Hermione was drawing a blank and for the first time in her life, she didn't have an answer. However, Draco could think of only one person who still had the pure blood nonsense embedded into their brain. The name was at the tip of his tongue; but refused to come out. He swallowed hard and squeezed Hermione's hand tightly.

"My money is on my father." Draco announced.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author Note: This chapter is fairly short; but it's kind of important in the development for the relationship. The big stuff will be happening in the next chapters. There is probably only two or three left. I hope you enjoy reading this and let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: HarryPGinnyW4eva, Legolas' Girl 31, LightofEvolution, Snowflake Dazzle, matkatry and Grahamgirl93 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Bright Flight, 89, 100, Galipou, 96, HermioneDraco368, pinkdaisyjane, Imr4893, typicalwhitechick, Secret Hopeless Romantic, elianngarcia and tonyeagle for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 24:

Everyone was silent. Hermione's hand tightened around Draco's. She knew that it couldn't have been easy for him to admit that his father could very well have something to do with the attacks on the people close to her. Pansy struggled to sit up, moving her feet off Stewart's legs. Her eyes slightly wider than before. "Do you really think he would do something like this?" She asked looking down at the floor and familiar gray carpet beneath her feet.

"He's capable of anything and if he's convinced my mother of the same thing...then they really are dangerous. Trust me...I would know..." Draco answered, leaning over to kiss Hermione's forehead trying to calm his own internal rage.

"How do we go about finding out for sure?" Stewart asked.

"Let me take care of that. I want Hermione to spend the holiday with Potter. She will be safe there."

Pansy turned to look back at Stewart. She knew that she had nowhere to go; but how was she going to ask him if she could spend the holiday with him? They hadn't been close for very long and it seemed wrong to ask such a meaningful gesture of the man who made her feel more human than ever before. "Then I will have Pansy with me. She will be safe with me." He countered.

The two men shared a moment of understanding. Pansy was stunned to hear the very thought emerge from his mouth. Maybe she really could trust him enough to care for her. Her eyes shifted to Hermione, who stood next to Draco with her fingers laced with his. Envy was fading away with every second she watched them together, because they really were perfect.

She leaned back against the pillow, her body trembled a little as a cold chill washed over her. Stewart pulled the blanket over her and then moved down onto the floor below her.

Draco watched closely. Deep down he was happy that someone could care for his former flame as he once had. She deserved a lot better than what he could offer her at the time. Hermione pulled her hand from his and turned to walk towards the front door to lock it for the night. "There is another pillow and blanket in the closet in the hall if you need it." She offered to Stewart.

"Thank you..." He answered refusing to look away from the injured woman on the sofa.

Hermione sucked in her bottom lip before turning down the hall herself to retreat to the bedroom she had occupied since beginning her stay with Draco. Before she could even step inside, his arms were around her waist pulling her back towards him. "There is no need to sleep in there any longer." He whispered in her ear.

"Um...are you sure..."

"Yes."

She couldn't see the smile that was on his face; but it was definitely there. He pushed the door to his own bedroom open. The scent of him filled the room and eased her worries. Her bracelet felt heavy on her wrist as she pulled back the already unmade bed. She could remember the memories they've made in the room already.

The fact that he had told her that he loved got her heart pumping at the thought of hearing it again. She wanted to stay alive not only for herself; but for him. There was no way he could handle anyone else leaving him or betraying him.

"There is something on you mind..." Draco stated, pointing out the obvious.

"I can't help but think that I'm not doing enough. You've done so much for me already and I...really haven't done anything."

Draco immediately went to her side and gently curled his hand around the junction at her elbow. She slowly turned to face him, feeling his other hand cup the side of her face. Her name was at the tip of his tongue; but it just wouldn't come out. He understood the helpless feeling all too well. He felt that way throughout his years at Hogwarts. "Don't put yourself down. You've done plenty for me."He encouraged.

"Like what?"

"You showed me that everyone deserves a second chance and that people could be redeemed if they want it bad enough."

Leaning his face in closer to hers, the warmth of his breath tickled her upper lip. She licked her lips out of reflex to his earlier gesture. It was exciting her in more than one way. Warmth pooled between her thighs with the very thought of him touching her intimately once more. She never knew a man could be this addicting, course she never really had been involved with someone like Draco before. "I promised you once before that I wasn't going to let anyone hurt you and I'll be damned if I let my own family do that. Again…."

"You'd be betraying them by protecting me."

"I know. They just don't understand how you make me feel."

A smile tugged at her lips just as she closed the remaining distance between them. The feeling of his lips on hers was all she ever needed. His fingers traced a line down her arm and then moved to the side of her breast. He wanted her in the worst way. The painful pressure in his groin was more than enough for him to understand that.

Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him in even closer. She felt the erection pressing against her abdomen. A soft moan escaped her lips all the while Draco inched her back against the edge of the bed until she had nowhere left to go except down. He reached into his back pocket for his wand. With a circling motion of his wrist, he uttered one word. "Muffiato." He had full intention of silencing the room so his guests would not hear anything between them.

Draco placed his wand on the nearby nightstand and returned his attention towards the woman in his arms. His lips found hers once more, tasting her warm mouth with his tongue. Hermione groaned, finding her courage to search his body on her own. When her hand found the bulge at his pants, she rubbed her palm against the material. It was met with a hiss.

He wasn't so sure he was going to be able to take his time with her this time around. She was radiating sexual prowess, despite her lack of experience. The sound of metal against metal brought him back to reality. The charms on her bracelet hit the metal on the buckle of his belt. She was taking a different approach than she had the first time; but there was something on his mind that needed to be said before anything else could continue.

"Hermione..."

"Hmm..."

"There is nothing that will stop me from loving you. Not Potter, Not Weasly. Not Pansy. Not my family. You are it for me."

Hermione remained wordless. She had no idea what to say in response to what he had just declared. It was the most beautiful thing she probably had ever heard. As he kissed her, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Those three little words repeated inside her head over and over again. She wanted to say it again. His mouth never left hers and their bodies united in unbridled passion that consumed them both entirely.

Even when they lay still in the darkness of the safety of his room, she thought those words. Her cheek pressed against his warm chest. The sound of his heartbeat ever so soothing. The fact that he had told her once already didn't make it any easier for her to say it herself. You give her a spell, a book or anything magical to master and she could do it; but give her something that dealt with a relationship and she was scared to death.

When she thought he was asleep, her mouth parted slightly. The lump in her throat grew a little bigger; but she swallowed it down. "I love you..." She whispered. He moved his arm that was draped over her bare waist up her arm to the side of her face, letting her know that he wasn't asleep at all. His lips found hers. "I love you to." He answered before finally allowing the sleep to take over.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Sorry another short chapter. I had to reevaluate the ending of the story. I'd say there is probably four more left. Hope you all enjoy, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Grahamgirl93, zoesheppard, Legolas' Girl 31, Snowflake Dazzle, HarryPGinnyW4eva, Guest, LightofEvolution and puasluoma for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: dnatienza1, HazelnutLatte, SparkenRose, she5061, eiligh, riversgirl75, LoEverett and puasluoma for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 25:

 **December 23** **rd**

Hermione awoke to the sun filtering through the curtains of Draco's bedroom. A smile curved her lips as she rolled to her side; but felt no one there. Instantly, she was awake and sat straight up. The covers fell from her naked body, exposing her hardened peaks. All that was in his place on the bed was a cream color piece of parchment.

" _ **Hermione,**_

 _ **I left you sleep, didn't want to wake you. Pansy and Stewart left already to attend to their plans for the holiday. Please get ready and get to Potter's as soon as you can. Again, I apologize for not being there when you woke. My mother insisted my presence now. I'm going to dig into the fact that father most likely is the one behind the attacks on you.**_

 _ **I love you, stay safe and I'll see you soon.**_

 _ **Draco."**_

She wanted to understand his reasoning for leaving without telling her; but she wanted to kiss him one more time before they had to be parted. Rolling out of bed, she walked out of the room and into the one she had occupied. She found an appropriate outfit and then stuffed other garments into a travel bag.

Once out into the living room, she could see that someone had folded the blanket Pansy was using on the sofa. The room felt empty without Draco present. Looking up, she could see white snow falling from outside the large windows. The fact that everyone was trying to protect her made her feel like a shell of her former self. She remembered being the one to face danger straight in the eye and fight back.

"I'm sorry, Draco...I can't do as you ask." She said to herself and turned away from the window.

She zipped up the sides of her boots and then proceeded to leave the flat with bag in hand. Racing down the steps, every single bad thing that's happened over the last several weeks came flooding into her mind. Janey's death, the Chimera attack at the Christmas party and Pansy's attack. Not to mention the death threats. There was just far too much hiding and not enough fighting back on her part.

 **XxXxXxXx**

 **Malfoy Manor**

"So good to see you, Draco." Narcissa greeted, kissing her son on the forehead.

He accepted her embrace, only to keep appearances. Deep down he wanted to ask her about Hermione and if his father was the one pulling the strings. Her long black and blonde hair was pulled back low, as always, she wore elegant clothing that suited her status in the wizard world. "Yes mother, it is good to see you." He answered.

"No, Miss Granger?"

"I think you know why I did not bring her."

Narcissa looked at him oddly. Draco thought he might have struck something close to the truth. Her eyes shifted away from him, avoiding his gaze. "I don't know what you mean."

"I know you've been in talks with Stewart Lyons about eliminating Hermione."

"Draco...it's not what you think."

"Oh don't I? It sounds to me like you can't stand the fact that Hermione might be the one for me, only because she's not pure blood."

She swallowed hard, begging to whoever would listen that she could convince her son of the truth before it was too late and he trusted the wrong people. He crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for an answer to his accusation. It wasn't like his mother not to have an answer ready when someone confronted her about something. "Please, let me explain."

"Then explain."

"Mr. Lyons is right in the fact that I was talking about eliminating Hermione; however, I only joined in so I could figure out who was behind the attacks. It had nothing to do with actually hurting her. I know how much she means to you."

Draco studied her face, searching for signs that she would be lying. "What of father in all this?" He asked, needed to know what his opinion was if he even had one. Narcissa sat down in one of the over-sized chairs in the library. She crossed one leg over the other and folded her hands across her lap. A house elf carried in tea and placed it on the side table next to her. The steam emulated from the spout on the kettle.

"I asked your father what to do about your feelings for Miss Granger. He made it clear that blood supremacy was important; but I couldn't make you hate me for forbidding a relationship with her."

"Typical of father...to hate everyone who isn't pure. The times have changed and the old ways don't work anymore." Draco stated proudly.

Narcissa took a sip from her tea and nodded her head in acknowledgment that her son was indeed on the right path to becoming a decent human being, or rather a decent wizard. She couldn't be more proud of him than she was right then. "Have you figured out who is behind the attacks?" Draco asked sitting down in the chair opposite of his mother.

"It's not Pansy or Stewart. They are just pawns and ones that really aren't capable of hurting Hermione."

"No, they came to my place last night. They apologized for their actions. Plus, Pansy was attacked."

Draco could see the surprise on his mother's face then he had a sudden feeling of dread wash over him. He felt like Hermione was in danger, even though he knew that she couldn't be. She should be with Potter by now, surrounded by her friends and people that considered themselves family to her. He tried to push the feeling away and concentrate on the conversation with his mother. "If I had to guess, this whole thing is about jealousy." Narcissa answered.

"So you don't know who is behind this."

"No."

"Then who's to say that it isn't father pulling strings from Azkaban."

The words were out of his mouth before he could think better of it. Narcissa frowned a little at her son's accusation. She had to think hard on his words, because she could very well see where he would think that.

Draco felt sick to his stomach. His vision was fading in and out. The continued feeling of dread circulated through him. He knew there was definitely something wrong for him to feel this way. "Draco..." His mother called to him.

"Something is wrong. I can feel it..."

 **XxXxXxXx**

Hermione walked the crowded sidewalk, making her way towards the lit tree in the park. She wanted to see it one last time. There were people skating on the frozen pond and it brought back the memory of when Draco took her skating to cheer her up. It made her smile at the mere thought of it. "Poor little Hermione...all alone...with no one to protect her." A voice said softly.

She turned around, to see no one there. Spinning the whole way around, there was still no one there. The voice was slightly familiar; but she couldn't seem to put her finger on where. "Show yourself."

The sound of heavy panting came from behind her. Hermione's body froze momentarily and then when she was able to, she turned around to see the Chimera that had attack the Ministry Christmas Party; but what really surprised her was whom was sitting upon the creature like a princess on a throne. Her long blonde hair and blue eyes stuck out against the white feathers of the Chimera.

"Daphne..."


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: I apologize for the lengthy delay in update. I've seriously hit a writer block with this. I hope this is enjoyable, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Grahamgirl93, HarryPGinnyW4eva, Legolas' Girl 31, zoesheppard, Snowflake Dazzle, LightofEvolution, The Griffindor Hatstall and Harriettlovesbooks for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Infinitesimalbeing, kg171, Teirnan25, smalls2107, , Lilpocket, Gayres0918, Amaugustine, heatherthompson, Greuteri, pixelchick, tinkerbell988, Harriettlovesbooks and Astoria Drake for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 26:

"What do you mean...you can feel it?" Narcissa asked fully alert at this point.

Draco didn't answer his mother right away. He clenched his hands into fists tightly at his sides. His mind raced with far too much to concentrate on just one thing. Narcissa got up from the chair to move quickly to her son's side. "Draco! What's wrong?" She asked again, this time holding his shoulders to shake him.

"I spelled the bracelet on her wrist. It would allow me to feel when she was in danger. She should be with the Potter's right now...unless she…"

"Didn't go..."

"Damnit!"

Narcissa stepped out around him. She knew that her son was in a total panic and wouldn't calm down unless he knew where she was or what he was getting into. There was no turning him away from whatever was going on inside his head. Though, she shouldn't be surprised by that notion. She had done the same things for Lucius in their school days.

The lightheaded feeling overwhelmed him to the point he had to sit down. He gingerly turned his head to see what his mother was doing on the other end of the room. "What are you doing?" He asked relaxing his head in his hand.

"Trying to find Hermione's location; but it could take some time."

"Who knows how much time she has left? I promised to protect her...and I let her down..."

"No! You've done everything you could for her. I seriously doubt she'd feel like you let her down."

 **XxXxXx**

Groaning in pain, Hermione awoke to a cold concrete floor under her. The last thing she remembered was seeing Daphne on the back of a large Chimera. She couldn't believe after all this time that it had been her all along. The information caused her mind to escape to multiple questions. Why did she go this far? And why her? As far as she could remember, she's never done anything to hurt her. They barely spoke in school.

"Ow, what the hell..." She stated sitting up to get a better look at her surroundings.

There was only two lanterns that lit the dark, dingy prison that looked like it hasn't occupied a single soul in over a decade. Looking down, she saw that her bracelet was still around her wrist and the image of it left her feeling calm. Draco gave her confidence in her skills to get herself out of this mess. Of course, she had no doubt that Harry would be out looking for her when she never arrived. She was such a punctual person.

"So you're awake..." A voice called from the other side of the darkened room.

Somehow the voice seemed familiar to her; but couldn't put her finger on where she had heard it before. Looking around aimlessly, she caught sight of a tuff of dark hair against one of the stone pillars. The figure moved to make eye contact with her. The family resemblance was uncanny. This woman was related to Daphne, which meant that it was Astoria.

It struck her as odd that Daphne's own flesh and blood was down in this damp, disgusting prison. The first question that came to mind was, why?

"Astoria...is it not?" Hermione asked weakly.

"Yes. I suppose you are wondering why I'm down here with you." She stated getting to her feet.

"That's just one of many questions."

A laugh erupted from her throat as she made her way closer to where Hermione was sitting. The gem in the dragon's eye on her bracelet sparkled against the dim light in the room. She pulled her legs up closer to her chest, wanting nothing more than to be held in his arms. She knew that she had made a mistake by trying to do this alone.

Astoria sat down next to her. Blood seeped out of her open wounds in her hands and rolled down her wrist. Hermione caught sight of the crimson fluid and wondered what had happened to make this woman in such a shape as she was currently in.

"Understandably so...unfortunately I don't know much. The only thing I do know is that Daphne is crazed with jealousy over your status in the wizard world. You've been labeled a war hero and head of your own division within the Ministry of Magic...and the significant other of the richest wizard of all...Draco Malfoy."

"Maybe if she would have stood up for herself while we were at war instead of hiding behind everyone else, she would have been labeled a hero to. The Slytherin's were cowards, the exception was Draco. He was confused on what to do. He never wanted to be a part of Voldemort's army; but his father was so deep in there was no going back. That death eater mark is forever a reminder of his past that continues to haunt him to this day."

Astoria simply nodded her head upon hearing Hermione's rant. There was so much of what she said that was indeed the truth. Looking down, she saw the silver bracelet around her fellow prisoner's wrist. There was no doubt in her mind that Draco had given it to her. "Pansy knew that you were Draco's hatred and love in school, in which eventually we all saw it. He was determined to challenge you in every way."

"So where does Daphne fit into this? Why does she want me dead?"

"She wants Draco...she wants to be at the top of everything."

All the hatred towards one person over another. It made no sense to her. Though, she shouldn't be surprised. Hermione had come to learn that everything was done for a reason, whether it made sense or not. "I'm not going to just roll over and die for her sake. I will get out of her and if I have to...I will go through her."

"I expect no less from you. I'm down here because I sided with you."

"What?"

Astoria looked down at the blood that was rolling down her wrists. She wiped it across the fabric of her pants. "I felt my sister's jealousy was far too much. I sided with you and she tossed me down here to rot while she figured out what to do with you...and with me..."

 **XxXxXx**

Draco paced across the room floor. His vision temperately back to normal; but he knew that another wave of dizziness would come. He wished that he had known the side effects of the spell before he had cast it; but at the time it didn't matter. He just wanted Hermione to be safe and now she was missing.

"Mistress...Mr. Potter is at the front door and wishes to speak with the young master." A house elf came into the room to report.

"Allow him inside and escort him here." Draco demanded.

The house elf immediately left the room to retrieve Harry. Narcissa narrowed her brows further while concentrating on the spell she cast. Within moments, Harry stepped inside the room with a panic stricken expression on his face. "She never arrived..." He said through clenched teeth.

"I'm aware. My mother is trying to locate her as we speak." Draco answered.

"What the hell is going on? How would know that she went missing?" Harry shouted in pure anger.

"I spelled her bracelet to allow me to feel when her life's in danger."

At those words, Harry calmed down. He turned to look from his subordinate to his mother at the other end of the room. The concern was clearly written on Draco's face. He indeed loved his best friend and if he was honest with himself, there couldn't have been a better person for her.

"I've found her." Narcissa stated turning from the table.

"Where?" Draco asked.

"She's at the Greengrass estate..."

There was a sudden silence that filled the room. No one could say a word when the realization came to ahead. Draco couldn't believe what he was hearing, nor could Harry. It meant that either Daphne or Astoria had been behind the attacks and threats all along.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: I apologize for the seven month hiatus from this story. Writer's block hit me hard. Hopefully you all haven't skipped out on the story. I hope you enjoy this next installment. Let me know what you think.

Chapter 27

"Greengrass…" Draco muttered.

"This is surprising for sure." Harry commented.

Narcissa doubled checked herself before confirming once again that Hermione was truly at the Greengrass estate. Draco clenched his hands into fisted even tighter than he had before. There was still so much he didn't understand about his relationship with Hermione; but there was one thing for certain he did know. He loved her and wasn't about to loose her, just when he knew that she was it for him.

Harry studied his former rival and current auror for a moment. He could see the terror behind his blue-gray eyes that rendered him very muggle-like. "I'm going after her." Draco announced.

"Think first! You have no idea what's waiting for you!" Narcissa argued.

"I'm not going to let her die, mother. I've already failed her once and I'll be damned if it happens a second time."

"Your mother is right. We need a plan before we just walk right in there."

"Then what do you suggest?"

XxXxXxXxXx

Hermione continued to stare at the lanterns hanging from the stone pillars. Astoria leaned against one of those pillars, her dark hair caked to her dirty face. She couldn't understand why her sister would do such a thing to flesh and blood. Had jealousy really consumed Daphne? If only she had her wand, things would be so very different.

"Damnit…" She cursed softly.

"I am sorry...my sister is doing this to you…" Astoria apologized.

"It's not your fault and you shouldn't apologize for anything she does."

Hermione shifted across the cold concrete floor to get closer to her fellow prisoner. Astoria turned her head to look at the muggle born witch. She and her sister had been taught that muggle-borns weren't anything; but somewhere along the way, she started to resent the lessons that were being taught by her parents. Muggle-born wizards and witches were just the same as any other magic user in the world and should be treated equally.

Before any words could be exchanged between them, they heard the door unlock and creak open. Looking up from the floor, they made eye contact with Daphne herself. She stood in a slim fitted emerald green dress with boots made of the finest leather clad on her legs. Her long blonde hair was tied up with curls cascading down her back.

"Looks like you found my sister." She commented with a chuckle in her voice.

"This really show how heartless you really are. You put your own flesh and blood down here!" Hermione said standing up from the floor.

"She sided with the likes of you, apparently she needs retaught everything our parents originally taught us growing up."

Hermione felt sick to her stomach listening to Daphne speak. Her eyes narrowed, wanting nothing more than to take action against her. Arrest her for harboring a known level five creature; but to her, it wasn't enough with just an arrest. Daphne had been tormenting her and everyone in her life for far too long.

Daphne took a couple steps in her direction, just enough to stand a foot away from Hermione. "Without your wand, you are powerless. Mudbloods don't need to ruin such a pure line like Draco's."

A small smile tugged at Hermione's lips when the word 'powerless' came out of Daphne's mouth. Out of sheer overconfidence, Daphne took another couple steps closer. Astoria could see her fellow prisoner's hands curl into fists at her side and when the moment was perfect, Hermione struck Daphne was a fist across the jaw.

Daphne crumbled down the to the floor holding her face. Hermione quickly grabbed Astoria's arm and dragged her up. "We need to go now!"

Astoria got her feet and followed Hermione out of the dungeon, up the stairs and into a room that just seemed endless. They kept running until Astoria took the lead. Opening one of the side doors that would lead them to a courtyard, Hermione came face to face with the Chimera that had taken Janey's life.

It's tail curled up to the top if it's head that indeed mirrored that of a lions. The tail was scaled just like a dragon's and its body was covered in brown coarse hair that resembled a goat. The glare of it's demonic looking eyes ran a shiver up Hermione's spine.

"Hermione...that…" Astoria started to say before fear took over.

"I know…"

They could hear Daphne start to laugh from the open doorway behind them. Hermione knew that there was nowhere she could go and knew that she couldn't fight back without her wand. Curling in her bottom lip, she outstretched her arms and gave into the fact that she didn't have a way to save herself.

Astoria could hear her sister's laugh even louder than before. Was there nothing she could do to help? She turned away from Daphne to look at the Chimera on the other side of her. The creature was building up the flames, almost ready to release it upon them.

"I'm sorry I got you into this mess, Astoria…" Hermione apologized.

"There is nothing to apologize for…"

"You want me! Not your sister, now let her go!"

"Hermione!"

Daphne took a step closer through the threshold of the open door. A red mark was clearly seeable on the side of her face; but it didn't matter, because she held all the cards and decided who lived and who died.

She obviously was thinking about what Hermione suggested. The flames were getting hotter by the second, singeing the fabric of the clothing on their backs. "Sister, please stop this madness. She's a human being, made of flesh and blood. Think about what you're doing, please!" Astoria pleaded.

"Burn them both, Chimera." Daphne stated without a single shred of remorse.

"No!" Hermione yelled, pushing Astoria out of the way.

She fully intended to take the killing blow herself. There was no reason for someone else to die when the root cause of everything had been Hermione herself. Astoria fell roughly into the bushes on the opposite side of the Chimera. She quickly looked up to see the flames expel from the mouth of the creature.

Closing her eyes, she couldn't bear to see the incineration of one of the war heroes that had brought peace to wizards and witches from all over. The chimera growled low and took a step back. Astoria opened her eyes to see a shield surrounding Hermione, protecting her from the flames.

"What the hell?" Daphne stated looking on at the failed attempt to take Hermione's life.

"Did you really think we wouldn't find her?" Harry's voice thundered from behind Daphne.

Everyone turned around to see Harry standing next to Draco holding their wands in the direction of Hermione. Astoria smiled, realizing that they just had saved Hermione from certain death. The sheer determination radiated in their eyes, pulsing with a life of its own. _"Hopefully now, this will end…"_


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Thank you for the warm reception after being away for so long. We are getting down to the last couple chapters. I still have a few more ideas I want to do with this and hopefully you all will stick around to read them. Here it goes, number twenty-eight...let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Guest, kimbclar, Fatalromance, riversgirl75, Grahamgirl93, pgoodrichboggs, HarryPGinnyW4eva and LightofEvolution for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Kazumichan294, ColourfulCurse, tkprncs, xxcmazzaxx, akaiame2, emberrox42, zeze811 and lilyhugo17 for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 28:

Astoria pushed herself up from the bushes that she had been shoved into. She eyed the Chimera, who was obviously exhausted from the expulsion of flames. The anger radiated off her sister when she realized that Hermione was still alive. The jealousy had completely consumed her and she wondered if there was anything that could save her from herself. _"Daphne, please come back to your senses."_ She mentally pleaded.

Hermione opened her squinted eyes to realize that she wasn't dead. She turned her head around to see Harry and Draco standing behind Daphne. Her eyes locked with those of Draco's. The sight of his burning desire swirling in his eyes made her body warm up, giving her strength to continue the fight. "Daphne Greengrass, I am taking you into the Ministry. There are just far too many crimes you've committed to speak of." Harry stated taking a step towards the shocked blonde.

"I'm not just going to come with you. I'd rather die than be taken to prison." Daphne shouted back, pulling her wand out from the inside of her top.

"Enough is enough, Daphne!" Astoria screamed.

Everyone looked at the younger Greengrass sibling. Tears trickled down her cheeks. Hermione understood the bond of family, because she shared it with Harry and Ron for so long. Right from the beginning of their journey through Hogwarts, she knew they would be special to her.

"Don't you understand, this is pointless. You are better than this. I've admired you for so long, because you were this strong woman. Don't throw it away, please!"

"I'm dead anyway, Astoria. Once I'm taken, Azkaban takes care of the rest. It's best it just ends now."

Daphne angrily expelled a spell from the tip of her wand in the direction of an off guard Draco. Hermione desperately lunged; but knew that she'd never get to him in time. The energy was suddenly countered with someone else's. Shifting her body, she could see Stewart Lyons standing next to Draco with an equally irritated facial expression on his face.

The surprise on Draco's face was justified. Stewart wasn't the only one who had arrived in that moment. Ron also stood with the Minister himself, Kingsley. The Chimera took several steps back and took off into the air, leaving behind nothing but a gust of wind. The thing Hermione had learned about those creatures was that they couldn't be controlled and if they were, it wouldn't be for long.

"Surrender now, Daphne." Harry suggested again.

"I won't!" She shouted again.

Another spell was cast from her wand, this time in Ron's direction. Again, it was deflected with another spell. It wasn't until Astoria ran and wrapped her arms around her sister's torso did she stop expelling wasted magic. Daphne's eyes widened at the gesture. "Please stop…" She heard her sister cry.

Daphne dropped her wand to the ground and wrapped her own arms around her sobbing sister. Astoria pulled out of the embrace and gave a weak smile before stepping aside. Hermione took several steps closer to the woman who had caused her so much torment. They stood face to face and once again, Hermione connected her fist to Daphne's already bruising face. "Was all of this worth it? Was it worth it to throw away a good life and relationship with your sister? No matter what you think, people have the freedom to choose their own path…. regardless of blood status."

Knowing that she was completely outnumbered, there was no way she would make it out alive if she tried to fight back. Daphne said nothing. There was nothing she could say that would justify her actions. All she could do now was live with the consequences and hope that Astoria would forgive her eventually.

Hermione knew that everything wasn't entirely Daphne's fault. It was how she was raised and if things continued the way there were, there would be another war in the magical world once again. A war that would be more devastating than the last.

Harry took Daphne into custody and was followed by Kingsley, Stewart, Ron and Astoria. Hermione felt the burning in her eyes the second she realized that everything was over; but she also knew that there was much to do yet. The trial would be spread out and she would have to speak on several occasions.

Collapsing to her knees, the sobs were evident even as Draco rushed to her side. He held her in his arms tightly, doing his best to soothe her pain. Running his fingers through her hair, stopping at her chin. The feeling of his fingers on her skin made her realize that this wasn't a dream. He really was there, holding her.

"Why didn't you go to Potter's like I asked you to?" He asked.

"I didn't want to put anymore people in danger. I wanted to do this alone. I've lost so much already and I couldn't handle anyone else dying because of me." She answered pushing herself out of his arms.

He helped her to her feet and they walked back through the house. Her wand was laying on the mantle just inside the living area. She took the item back and felt the need to restore the damage to the home. All Draco could do was watch her drown in her own emotions that he couldn't seem to penetrate no matter how hard he tried.

Once Hermione finished restoring what she could, Draco took her back to his apartment. It was Christmas Eve and the snow was falling out into the world. She immediately walked to the large window he knew she loved to stare out. Standing behind her, he wrapped her arms around her. He had almost lost her and that fear still ate at him.

"I'm sorry…" She said breaking the silence between them.

"Don't...I understand where your head was; but I almost lost you...and I made you a promise that I would keep you safe. I intend to keep that promise."

She leaned into his arm, pulling herself closer to him. His scent was comforting to the turbulent sea of emotions that threatened to drown her where she stood. The next few weeks were going to be a test on her willpower and she had a few ideas of what could be said during the trial. It was all about who would listen to her words.

 **XxXxXxXxXx**

Daphne pulled her legs up against her chest. The cold brick of her cell was just as frightening as the men outside it. In just a few days, she couldn't even recognize herself. The only positive thing that still lingered inside her head was the fact her sister had visited her the first day she was imprisoned.

Astoria was positive, despite the fact that she could see through the mirage of it all. There was nothing positive about being in prison. She wished that she hadn't listened to her parents and their complex way of thinking. The fact that they never told her they had been on the dark lord's side during the war was a bitter pill to swallow and now she was paying the price for listening to them.

"I'm so sorry, Astoria…" She whispered to herself.

Hearing a rattling at her prison door, she lifted her head up from her knees to see one of the guards opening the door. Another joined him at his side when the door was fully opened. Daphne narrowed her eyes at them, wondering what it was they were doing. "Get up." The one on the right demanded.

She did as she was told. Both men took a hold of her arms, escorting her to one of the conference rooms they had for interrogation. Pushing her inside, they told her sit down. "You have a visitor." The one on the left stated this time.

"Who would visit me? My sister is out of town until the trial." Daphne asked.

"I did." A familiar voice entered the room.

None other than Hermione Granger stepped in-between the guards to look at her with messy chestnut hair pulled up into a low swept ponytail. She was dressed in jeans and a dark green sweater. Daphne had to blink her eyes several times, thinking she was a hallucination sent to torment her for what she did.

"You have thirty minutes, Miss Granger."

"Plenty of time, thank you."

Daphne was stunned to see the witch at all. Even more so when she watched her sit down in the chair across from her. There were so many questions she wanted to ask; but she thought the most important one, of course, was why was there at all?


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: I appreciate all the kinds words and the welcome backs I've been getting. This is why I love this fandom so much. This chapter is going to be pretty emotion filled. Onto number twenty-nine, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: SereneDreamm, emotionalrangeofateaspoonCW, MinSugaBTS420, Arriaga97, BXgirl, NoobAtTheKeys and RossxCullen for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: pgoodrichboggs and HarryPGinnyW4eva for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 29:

 **December 28th, Draco's Flat**

Draco awoke to an empty bed. Hermione was nowhere to be seen in the room. He tossed the blankets off and walked out of the room. He stepped out into the living room hoping to see her staring out the window; but she was not there. Turning to the kitchen, he could see a piece of paper on the counter.

He picked up the item and glanced at the words on the page. The note was from Hermione. It didn't take long before the anger returned and he crumpled the piece of paper in his hand. He understood her distance lately, after everything she had been through over the last couple months, he would have been distant to; but going to Azkaban to talk to Daphne was just ludicrous.

"Damnit!" He cussed before going back to the bedroom to get dressed.

Sliding the closet door harshly open, he grabbed whatever was in there first. He wondered what he needed to do to get her to talk to him about what she was feeling. Going back to work obviously wasn't helping her either.

Opening the front door, he could see his mother standing there with her hand up as if she was going to knock.

"Mum…" He stated softly.

"What's the hurry Draco?" She asked with a light smile curving her lips.

"Hermione went to talk to Daphne."

The smile faded from Narcissa's face when she realized what her son was telling her. She knew better than anyone what it was like visiting someone in Azkaban. The emotion written on Draco's face was crushing her. She hated seeing her son in such emotional agony. "This girl is quite troublesome."

"She is at that; but...she…"

"I know…"

Narcissa knew how her son felt about the muggle born witch and stepped aside to allow Draco to leave, pulling the door shut behind him. She followed closely behind, not letting him go there alone. In the back of her mind, she worried that Hermione needed more help than anyone realized.

 **December 28th, Azkaban**

Hermione sat down across from Daphne in an interrogation room. Two guards stood outside the door, keeping alert to anything that could go wrong. Daphne's once shiny blonde hair was now deeply tangled and dirty from the floor of her cell. Hermione tried to keep her emotions in check as the pity took over upon seeing the Greengrass heiress in such a state.

"Why are you here?" Daphne asked crossing her arms over her chest.

"I want to know why. Why target me?" Hermione answered folding her hands on her lap under the table.

"Wouldn't you like to know."

Daphne's lips upturned into a coy smile that was taunting to the other woman in the room; but deep down, Hermione saw that it was a just an act. There was a lot of different emotions swirling inside the woman that had caused her a great deal of pain over the last couple of months. "Don't kid yourself, Daphne. You can act strong all you want. I can see the pain in your eyes."

"Self righteous as always, I see. The fact is, you weren't really the initial target. I just wanted to show the world that the golden trio were just as fragile as the rest of us. You didn't need all the glory and fame for being the ones to end the war."

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe we didn't want the fame either?"

Daphne looked right at Hermione in that moment and saw the sincerity on her face. Perhaps she had been wrong about them being fame seekers or maybe it was her time in prison talking? She really didn't know; but looking at the woman sitting across from her, she could see that she really hadn't wanted the fame. "All we wanted was to do what was right. Harry came from a famous name. He never cared about that. All he cared about was ridding the world of the dark lord. Ron came from a line of purebloods, his father was an auror willing to sacrifice everything to make sure his family was safe…"

"And you came from muggles….yes, we know your story."

"No, I'm afraid you don't. I may have come from muggles; but they never understood me fully. Of course, they tried to...in the end, I had to obliviate them to keep them safe. Now, they don't remember me at all…"

Daphne listened, watching the emotions roll off her rival in waves. There was a lot that she hadn't known about the Gryffindor Princess. Thinking back on the battle at the Greengrass Estate, she could remember seeing the desperate look on Draco's face. He had been the worst one when it came to pointing out her lineage and now he was in love with her. It went to show that people change, no matter how dark they seem.

"I have no family left, Daphne. You at least have Astoria, so don't throw away a chance to see her again outside of these walls. Tell me the truth about what happened and maybe I can see about getting you a lighter sentence."

The door opened and both guards stepped inside. Hermione knew her time was up. Standing up from the chair, she turned to walk towards the guards. Daphne's eyes burned with tears, realizing that was her only chance to set things straight. "One more thing before you go!" She shouted.

Hermione turned around at the doorway. "I didn't kill Janey." Daphne stated affirmatively. The heart in her words made Hermione freeze with wide eyes. The fact that she brought Janey up was shocking; but now, all she wanted to do was ask more questions.

The guards pushed her out the door before any words could come out of her mouth. Hermione was frustrated that she didn't have more time with her and that she would have to set up another visit before the trial would begin next week.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Draco asked standing outside of the prison with his mother at his side.

"I had to…"

"No you didn't. You don't owe her anything." He stated interrupting her.

Hermione frowned at his response. There was so much he didn't know and now she wanted to know more. Somehow, she believed Daphne in the fact that she didn't kill Janey; but the question now was, who did kill her?

Tears burned the corners of her eyes, spilling over the sides to roll down her cheeks. Draco let the anger go in one sigh before pulling her into his arms. Narcissa placed a gentle hand on her back before looking back at the prison that housed her husband and wondered if he had played a part in all of the turmoil that surrounded their son.

"Let's get you home." Draco whispered before kissing her forehead.

Narcissa led them away from Azkaban and back into London. She didn't bother to stay long once they got back to Draco's apartment. She knew that they needed the privacy. If she was honest with herself, she needed time to think anyway.

Draco opened the door and allowed Hermione to step inside first. She immediately took off her coat and shoes, then she stepped into the living room to sit down on the sofa. Her eyes lingered on the large window overlooking the city.

"I'm sorry...I didn't mean to scare you." She apologized.

"Hermione, you're strong enough to take care of yourself...I just didn't understand your reasoning for going."

"I needed to know why."

He moved to sit down next to her, reaching for the side of her face. His fingers pulled her to look at him. She closed her eyes, leaning into his touch more than he thought she would. The 'why' was eating away at her. He could see it. "Did you get an answer?" He asked pulling her to sit on his lap, with his arms wrapped around her tightly.

She said nothing, except for a nod of the head. He knew that she wasn't going to say anything else, so he opted for just holding onto her. Eventually she would tell him, he just had to be patient with her. "I love you…" She whispered burying her face into his chest.

"I love you to…"


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: This will be the final chapter. I do hope you all enjoyed reading it and I definitely enjoyed writing it for all of you. Hopefully someday soon, I will return with something new. So, until then, enjoy the last chapter and let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Arriaga98, nataliagam, juliep0123, spam3, uhguhg, incoherentlove, theJessFaith, lette4life, MiaE20, Yepsen, adrid88 and jessicachauu for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: HarryPGinnyW4eva, kimbclar, Guest and calmme for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 30:

 **December 31th, Early A.M, Draco's Flat**

Hermione tossed her head side to side in her sleep. The haunting nightmares of being alone were consuming her from all directions now. She feared being alone more than anything else in the last few months, ever since Draco entered her life. Clenching the silk of the sheet that she was wrapped in, she bit down on her bottom lip and shot up from her sleep.

"Hermione?" Draco's voice called with concern next to her.

She looked over at him, who was still laying down with eyes wide open. He was studying her. It had been three days since she had gone to visit Daphne at Azkaban. After some time, Hermione did tell him about Daphne speaking of Janey and the fact that she claimed that she hadn't killed her.

Draco felt obligated to tell Harry about the development and had him look into whatever truth there was to the statement, only for the sake of clearing Hermione's conscious of the death weighing heavily upon her shoulders.

"Just a dream, I'm okay." She answered sliding back down into bed.

"You've been having alot of those lately…"

"I know...I guess I've just have some doubts."

He wrapped an arm around her waist pulling her closer to him. His lips found the hollow of her neck. Hermione closed her eyes, soaking up the sensation he always seemed to leave when he touched her. "There is no need for doubts. We've overcome far too much for that. You are not alone. There are too many people who care for you."

A smile upturned her lips, realizing that he was right in that fact. She closed her eyes, holding onto his arm tighter. The wonder of what would be in store for them next got the butterflies in her stomach fluttering and that feeling was more than enough to satisfy her to keep going without the answers to the greatest mystery of them all even though that answer would soon come to light in Daphne's questioning. Who had really killed Janey?

 **December 31st, Azkaban**

Harry passed through the first of two guard stations before being able to start the interrogation of Daphne Greengrass. He was determined to get the answers his best friend so desperately needed. With a nod of the head, he was granted access to the room. A mass of dirty blonde hair was the first thing he saw when he stepped inside.

"Oh great...I get interrogated by Harry fucking Potter." Daphne stated rolling her eyes in the chair she was currently strapped into.

"She's been injected with truth serum ten minutes ago, you should be good to go." The guard informed before taking several steps back towards the closed door.

"Why target Hermione Granger?" Harry asked.

Daphne groaned as she struggled against the confines of the chair. Her blonde hair fell into her face, hiding the expression on her features. "I already told her this. She wasn't the true target. I just wasn't to make the so called 'Golden Trio' look fragile. She happened to have stepped into the wrong situations."

"Then why wasn't Ron Weasley or I harmed in any way?"

"As I just said, she walked into the wrong situations."

"Am I to assume that you weren't the mastermind behind the whole thing?"

"Ha...you're not as dumb as you look. I wasn't behind Janey's death. She was the catalyst to everything that happened."

Harry thought about what was said. If Daphne hadn't been the mastermind behind the death threat in the first place, then who could it be? Narrowing his eyes a little, he leaned forward in his own chair to stare directly at her. "Then who is it? Who killed Janey and who started this whole thing?"

"The mastermind should be obvious as for Janey...she killed by Stewart simply because she found him out as a former Death Eater."

"They why help us if he killed her?"

"To shut me up and because he knows that Pansy will die simply for changing sides."

It made sense that Stewart would change sides if he knew that his failures would result in Pansy losing her life; but it doesn't change the fact that he killed a fellow witch in cold blood. He would pay for his crime as well. Daphne groaned even louder, she struggled once again against the restraints. The truth serum was going to wear off soon and he knew that he needed to find out who exactly was behind the death threats right from the beginning.

"How did you get your orders? Who gave them to you?"

"Letters...they were always letters…"

"Who gave them to you, Daphne?"

Harry leaned in closer to her just as she whispered one name. It should have come to a surprise to him; but when he really thought about it, it really didn't surprise him as much as he thought. He got up from the chair and released the buckles that held Daphne's arms in place. She had exhausted herself from fighting against the truth within herself.

The guard escorted him outside. With the interrogation over, he would leave the rest to the prosecuting team to take care of the trial. Now he had a New Years Eve party to get to and tell Hermione exactly what she needed to know.

 **December 31st, Harry's Home**

Ginny sat a warm pie on the table next to all the other foods she had prepared. Ron assisted with the carrying since she also had to tend her son James. She smiled at him, knowing that soon enough he would become a father. The thought of becoming an aunt got her excited. Lavender sat on the floor playing with James as she crawled through the living area.

"I'm home." Harry announced, coming through the front door.

"How did it go?" Ginny asked coming around the corner from the kitchen.

"We finally got all the answers and so did Hermione."

"Is she coming?" Ron asked sitting another pie on the table.

Harry stepped aside to show the still open door. Hermione and Draco entered hand in hand. Lavender got up from the floor to see what everyone was looking at. James continued to crawl across the floor to stop right at Hermione's feet.

Looking down, Hermione smiled and reached down to pick up the small child into her arms. He cooed happily at who was holding him.

"Hermione…" Ginny said at a loss for words.

Looking up from James, she met Ginny's gaze. Harry took his son from Hermione just as Ginny passed through the living room to get to Hermione only for arms to wrap around her tightly. Happy tears trickled down their cheeks. Separating, she turned to look at Ron and Lavender. The bump of her stomach was starting to clearly show her pregnancy.

"Thank you, all of you...for everything."

"There is no need to thanks us. You are family and we do anything for family." Harry said pushing Draco into the group.

Ron stared at him a moment before extending his hand out to him. Draco was surprised for a brief moment before accepting the gesture. "You've proven that you care for her more than I ever thought possible. I have no doubt that you will keep her safe."

"You have my word on that." Draco answered.

Hermione smiled. Despite knowing that Draco's father had been the mastermind behind her death threat and Stewart being the one who killed Janey, there was some closure to some of the haunting feelings that had surrounded her for so long. Harry had assured her that everything was taken care of when it came to Janey's death and Lucius in not being allowed any visitors or ability to send letters to anyone.

"It's almost midnight." Draco said coming to stand beside her.

Ginny came around to hand them glasses of champagne. Hermione took the glass and smiled. James was sleeping on a blanket on the floor just as the lights outside began to flicker to begin the countdown to midnight.

Draco twined his fingers through Hermione's, reminding her that she wasn't alone nor would she ever leaned in to place his lips onto hers ever so gently. She took a step closer to him, feeling his chest against hers. The pounding his heart against hers. There was no better feeling than knowing how much you are loved by another.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Midnight, a new year and new beginnings; but nothing shinned more than Hermione and Draco in that moment.

 **E/N: Thank you all for taking the time to read. Until next time….**


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